


Out of the Many

by fuzzybatbutts



Category: Alice in Wonderland (1951), Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Alice in Wonderland, Big Bang 2014, Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Body Modification, DCBB, Dean/Cas Big Bang Challenge, Demon Dean Winchester, Gen, Gore, M/M, Torture, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-24
Updated: 2014-11-24
Packaged: 2018-02-26 22:28:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 28,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2668661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuzzybatbutts/pseuds/fuzzybatbutts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's no place for freaks in this world, except the place where they are made. Homeless and on the run, Dean and Cas live on the streets of the busy cities, stealing and begging for money to get by. But when they're sucked down a rabbit hole into the mysterious world of the Wonderland, everything changes from good, to bad, to worse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Out of the Many

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to thank my lovely beta Jamie for fixing this mess so quickly in such a short time and to my artist Amyeyl whose art I'll leave a link to here later when I finally get my hands on it.

It seems the older you get, the less sympathy people have for you. When you’re a kid, its all “Oh, is everything alright? Let me buy something to make it better”, or the equally irritating, “Here, let me fix it by doing nothing but chew you out.” But now, sitting alone in an old, dirty and worn street, Dean wished he had even a drop of that sympathy.

Although it had taken time he’d, gotten used to the snide comments and the rude looks people gave him. He’d long since grown tired of the whispers of, “Probably just some troubled teen. Shouldn’t he be in school? Probably some crack addict.”

Like Dean had the money to afford anything as nice as crack.

When you’ve lived on the streets for as long as poor beaten up Dean, you learn to tune things like that out. It isn’t important, what is important is getting enough money for even the smallest scrap of food, or a decent pair of gloves. His current ones had gaping holes in the palms, and did little to nothing to offer protection in the cold November chill. It had long ago turned his rough, calloused hands blue, and made playing his old guitar agony, strings turning into tiny razor blades he had to keep rubbing his fingers up against. And so far, it wasn’t really paying off.

Although, he’d been playing for over 3 hours, he’d gotten a grad total of $6 and a wad of gum from some joker and his hideous girlfriend, who had the worst hyena laugh imaginable. So, with a heavy sigh and a grunt, Dean stood up and hoisted his guitar onto his back, and began walking. He had better things to waste his time on.

 

While Dean was used to street life by now, having been on them for 7 years, it was impossible to say the same about Cas. 

His point was proven when his companion and only real friend bolted his way around the corner into the alley that the duo called home. Blowing out air faster than a dying man, the younger boy collapsed against a wall, clutching a bag to his chest like his life depended on it. Unable to resist a roll of his eyes, Dean sat down next to Cas and put a hand on his shoulder, “You got caught again, didn’t you?”

A muffled groan was his only reply. Dean couldn’t help but giggle, earning him a glare that could melt through steel. 

“Man, you really need to work on your sticky fingers, this is what? That’s third time in the past 2 weeks.”

Big city gas stations stores were more than a little cautious when it came to allowing vagrants anywhere near the store, the grouchy old men would often dial the police or bring out a pistol if they got even a little suspicious. Dean had nicknamed them Prada Rejects because their skin looked like leather dried in the sun too long, and they were always hiding something up their sleeves. They’d call the female owners the Hags of Baskervilles since they’d shriek like banshees when the boys approached the store window.

“Oh can it Winchester,” Cas huffed, brushing off the offending hand, “Pardon me for saying so, but I think it highly improbable that you were a master when you first started. And if I might add, you’re not exactly one of the greats either.”

Dean put on a look of comical offense, “Hey! For your information, I am an expert (at these words, Cas rolled his eyes) at the art of thievery! Or at least, a hell of a lot better than you.” He smirked. 

“Dean, that isn’t saying very much.”

“Shut up. The hell did you get anyway?”

Cas shrugged and started pulling items out of his bag. A single apple and a loaf of suspiciously crusty bread were all he’d been able to get before the manger of the convience store got suspicious and had chased him a half a mile away, but Dean was proud, since it was much more than his companion usually got. 

While he was terrible at the actual stealing, Dean always made Cas lift things from stores, as he was the more innocent of the two and could often charm his way out of a tight spot. Big, bright blue eyes were framed by slightly tousled dark hair, and he had big bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. He was skinny and frail, his beloved tan trench coat hung on him like a shirt on a hanger. Hell, the kid would even drift off into his own little world sometimes, giving him a dreamy look that melted hearts. Cas just seemed... innocent, a stark contrast to Dean.

If one were to describe Castiel, first words to come to mind would be teddy bear, or a pretty kitten. If one were to describe Dean, the only word would be soldier. Washed out and weary (though Cas insisted at night they sparkled in the star light) green eyes had sunken into his face, an unfortunate result of no sleep and starvation. They were more like mirrors, not windows, reflecting all his past traumas without him needing to say a single word. His eyes scared people because they didn’t belong in the face of a 17 year-old kid, they belonged in a veterans instead. 

The eyes, plus the beaten leather jacket and torn-to-shreds jeans, added together to make Dean seem untrustworthy, the opposite to Castiels generally chilled-out mood. If he was to be completely honest, it kinda freaked Dean out just how rational and cold the guy could be, as if he didn’t care about anything. Why that didn’t freak people out, he doubted he would ever know. He guessed they just couldn’t get passed the damn puppy eyes.

Pushing the thoughts from his mind Dean asked, “How did you get all of this? I think you got a new record my friend.”

Cas’s reply seemed distant and troubled, as if he was trying to remember something that happened long ago. “I honestly don’t know… everyone in town, or at least the store seemed… I dunno, dazed. Well, stoned would be a better word. And stoned more than usual, I kicked one in the damn shins and it took him about 10 seconds to register I was even there. You notice anything?”

Seeing stoner wasn’t a new thing for them. In fact, they were usually the guys that paid Dean the most, so he wasn’t bothered by them in the slightest. “I didn’t notice much since only a few people were walking around. And I wasn’t really looking, what were they like? Sure they weren’t just the druggies that got let out of their cages?”

“Actually, sleep walking would be an even better comparison,” he noted, drifting off into deeper thought, “The ones I noticed seemed hypnotized, Hell, most of the people in the area were. They just sorta… wander around, staring at the sky and muttering about weird dreams.”

“And there were way to many of them to just be plain addicts. I’ve found most of the crack-heads and geeks hideouts, and I was nowhere near them. Dean, when I say almost the whole town, I mean it.”

Puzzled, Dean shook his head and leaned against the wall, “Well I the only thing I noticed was people were staying inside. Yea sure, it’s friggin’ freezing out here, but I mean no one. Jesus this is weird… maybe it’s a holiday we didn’t know about? And are you sure it was that many people?”

Cas just huffed and pulled his coat around him tightly, focusing very intently on a spot of dirt on the ground. 

“Great,” Dean thought in annoyance, “Now he’s angry.”

“Look,” mumbled Dean as he slid down the wall and sat next to Cas, “It-it’s not that I don’t believe you, I just have a hard time thinking of a reason for EVERYBODY to be baked. Sorry if you thought I was insulting you.”

Castiel simply closed his eyes and rested his head on Dean’s shoulder while his heart rate slowed. The boys didn’t say a word for the rest of the day.

 

Dean awoke to an unexpected weight on his chest. His first instinct was to throw it off and grab the knife that lay under the cardboard mount he used as a pillow (that was a habit he’d picked up from an overly-paranoid Castiel). But he soon discovered once his eyes unfogged, it wasn’t something unpleasant, but quite the opposite in fact. The smaller boy had curled up beside Dean, and wrapped himself around in a manner that resembled a hungry octopus. Castiel’s arm was wrapped around his chest, and his legs had tangled themselves up in Deans. A head of dark hair was buried deep into his shoulders, and a soft snoring arose from his mouth.

Poor thing was probably freezing, as his trench coat did very little to ward off the cold. “Well,” Dean thought, “Being a rich boy doesn’t exactly prep you for this crap.”

Despite knowing him for 4 solid months, Dean knew Cas wasn’t the kind to share secrets of any kind. Fair enough, he had thought at the time, kids probably just uptight or secretive, that happens when you have 7 older siblings. In fact, Cas had never even told him he was a Novak, he only knew that because of the family crested ring he wore. (And due to the ever growing number of WANTED posters on the streets with his face plastered on them) Everyone knew in the whole state knew that crest. Six wings curled around an ornate shield, two black, two gold, and two silver. A dragon and a snake danced in the center, with a fox and a lamb curled at the bottom. Thorns and “Mother of Millions” flowers grew around the base of the shield’s banner. And on said banner read some weird Latin motto, which meant absolutely nothing to Dean. It was overly symbolic, and all-around nasty symbol for a nasty family.

A small groan broke Deans train of thought. A very sleepy Cas pushed himself off Dean and into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes and yawning. “Well good morning Sleeping Beauty!”

“Ugh, I wish.” Cas stood up and stretched, cracking his spine and scratching his head. “What’s for breakfast?”

Dean scooted over the back of their little hide-out and started digging through what little food they had. The hide out was nothing special or dramatic, but it was the closest thing to a home either had ever had. Half-rotted plywood was carefully stacked and taped together on an angel to block out most of the wind that swept through the alley on cold nights, with an old sweat stained rag too thin for any other purpose acting as a door. Inside, the floor was padded with soggy cardboard and shredded rags that acted as sleeping mats. A tiny section was marked off for food storage, the rest was just big enough for the two of them to stretch out, but most nights it was freezing so they stuck close together anyway. It had taken days of dumpster diving to create the small leaning hut, but it was better than sleeping on park benches. 

“Uhhhh, apple?”

Sigh, “Toss it over.”

Still digging, the older found a small quarter-filled cracker sleeve and began munching down. “So any plans for today?” he asked, mouth half full.

“Not anything in particular, I was just going to walk around and see if there’s any better places to camp out. Azazel’s gang has most of the better spots staked out, but a quick look couldn’t hurt. And seeing if the town is still hot-boxed would be nice.”

Dean froze at the mention of Azazels name. He was a mean son-of-a-bitch who controlled the majority of the slums where the boys called home. Ruthless, clever, and all around nasty, he was known for demolishing anyone who looked at him funky. The boys had met him once, and were lucky to get away with only a few scars, a broken wrist, and a long lasting grudge, but it had been terrifying enough to warrant staying the Hell away from his property. 

Being the more seasoned of the pair when it came to being a street rat, Dean had always known to avoid Azazel’s territory, and had made sure to drill it into Castiels’ skull. After spending most of your life running away, you knew how to disappear, and Dean fancied himself an expert by this point, but it was hard to disappear when you’re carrying around a naïve rich-kid who’s being hunted like a wild boar. Castiel had a huge reward on his head, and Azazel wanted nothing more than to cash in on that. But Dean had refused to allow them to take Cas away, and swore a silent oath to protect him no matter the situation. 

“I don’t know Cas,” Dean said, worry invading his tone, “That dick-bag has gotten his feelers out even more in the past few weeks. I don’t know if there’s a single person in the area who he doesn’t have under his damn thumb.”

Cas gave a simple shrug, “Well we’ve nothing better to do, unless you want to start tearing down my WANTED posters again. Maybe if we’re lucky, they’ll have turned into zombies like the rest of the city.”

“Hopefully, and no thank-you,” said Dean through a mouth of crackers, “Your parents put waaaayy to many of those up.”

For a fleeting moment, a look of intense sadness clouded in Castiel’s eyes, but he shook it off and put his hands up in a “what can you do” gesture.

Finishing off his mouthful, Dean forced himself up and slid on a pair of gloves before clapping Cas on his back and smiling. “Well lead the way sunshine.”

As Dean soon realized, the weirdness him and Cas had witnessed wasn’t just the richer areas, it was everywhere. Hand-in-hand (although it was totally just because my fingers are cold, and nothing else.” Thought Dean.) they walked, avoiding the strange behavior of the citizens and actually laughing for a change. Once they realized they could use the rooftops without risk of angry homeowners screaming at them, the pair leaped from building to building, taunting the other when the jump seemed too far. Being smaller and more flexible, Cas was always better when it came to this activity. When he got a rhythm, he resembled more of a bird flying than a scrawny kid with no life and Dean loved watching him soar from roof to roof. His heart would quicken if he thought the boy would slip and plummet, but Castiel was too nimble for that. No, that kid would never fall it seemed, he was too full of grace for that.

But after they got to a less populated area of town, houses and businesses were too far apart so they were forced to give up their wings for feet. But it wasn’t as bad as they thought because, as it turned out, the stoner zombies were fun to mess with and the boys actually had a contest to see how much they could lift off people without them noticing. A miniature food fight even broke out after they had found and thoroughly raided a food truck, stuffing them selves silly before the chef even blinked at them. Even when he did see them, he didn’t do much but let out a small “Oh.” and turn back to his stove, covered in burning hamburger patties. 

The food fight was epic, even if there were only two competitors. Cheeseburgers and fries were chucked like pineapple grenades, sodas were like nukes, and hot dogs and various fried crap were laying in piles on the dirty stone. Dean ducked a raw hot dog as it whizzed over his head, and fired back with a greasy grilled cheese soaked in ketchup. Ducking behind a table, he loaded a stray burger one of the Zombies had dropped, and peered over the edge to see if Cas was doing the same, only to be greeted by a face full of dressing covered salad.

Howling with laughter, Castiel grabbed his stomach and pointed at Dean’s now white and green face. Dean scowled and wiped the goop off with his sleeve, and charged at Cas with a mighty roar. He shrieked and tried to flee from Dean, but to no avail as he was soon pinned to the ground. Easily keeping the scrawny boy down with his legs, Dean dumped the burger onto Castiels’ face, rubbing the mustard into his hair and mussing it.

“Hey! Dean,” Cas shouted around the patty currently shoved in his mouth, “Get off me you idiot!”

Chuckling, Dean complied and climbed off the kid and offered him a hand up. It was unfair since Cas weighted 70 pounds soaking wet, and was a skinny twig of a teenager. They were both 17 and were severely underweight, but Dean still had at least 15 pounds on the kid. 

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t queers number 1 & 2\. And oh, well well, you boys should know public displays of affection often make people uncomfortable.” 

Both boys turned sharply to see a petite, dark haired female standing a few meters away, flanked by two huge boys with pug-like features. She had an irritatingly confident smirk, and stood with an air of smugness. “Fancy meeting you two in the middle of Stonerville, and might I add, right at the center of my bosses land.”

“Fuck off Meg,” growled Dean through tightly clenched teeth, “We’re not dealing with your shit right now, and we’re not scared of your damn boss either. So we’ll walk all over his land if we see fit yeah?”

Meg let out a cackle before staring Dean straight down, “Of course you are idiot. I’ve seen the way you run every single time one of his generals is around. You nearly shit your pants when you saw little old me.”

Meg was Azazel’s right hand man (or women in this case) and was usually the one who cracked the whip when his foot soldiers needed to be put where they belonged. The duo had run into her many times, and often had to leg it before her body guards dragged them away.

“Look Deano, I don’t feel like causing a big blow out. We’ve danced this dance many times before, so lets end it yea? Just hand Mr. Moneybags over and we’ll let you go with minimal damage. Well, when I say minimal, that’s only for you of course,” Meg winked at Cas and grinned like a feral cat.

Dean snorted, and rolled his eyes, “Now you know that’s not gonna happen you bitch. Cas ain’t going anywhere he doesn’t want to, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to be hog tied and dragged back to Mommy and Daddy.”

Cas simply simply nodded in agreement and clenched his hands into tight fists, keeping his eyes locked on the pug boys. 

Meg just rolled her eyes but kept her mouth shut, and before long everything had turned into a game of stare down, and Dean did not want to lose. But it was only a matter of time before his patience wore thin. He let a “Fuck this” slip loose, grabbed Castiel by one boney hand and bolted down the street.

Sounds of thundering footsteps spurred the boys on as they fled from their pursuers, knocking trash bins and pushing several of the zombies out of the way. They dipped and dived through every nook and cranny that the boys knew, but still Meg’s goonies were hot on their trails. Dean’s throat burned and his heart raced in fear as he tipped a trashcan trying to trip one of the goonies. He couldn’t bear to loose Cas since he knew he couldn’t live with himself if he condemned his only friend to a life of boredom. Plus, since knowing Castiel he’d grown soft. All those nights of freezing were made bearable because he had a friend to suffer through them with, but if he were to disappear, Dean would have nothing left. 

Fear spurred him on as they raced through the slums of the city, screaming at each other to go faster and throwing random bits of trash in hopes of striking the henchmen. Panic caused them to take wrong turns and they ended up in a run down neighborhood, the kind where if a person was shot in the streets they’d just complain about the noise waking them up rather than calling for help. But going through backyards didn’t help, as the pursuers simply charged through. Roof hopping was effective for a short while, but soon the goons started pelting them with rocks, and they were forced down after Dean was struck in the eye. Pressing his sleeve to his forehead, he tried to stop the bleeding and keep running, but the leather of his jacket couldn’t soak it up. Gesturing to the wound, he mimed stopping to Cas since the blood had started blind him and he couldn’t run if he couldn’t see. In a last ditch effort, Dean charged at the door and rammed his shoulder into the splintered wood, gasping at the loud crack that resounded from his shoulder. After slipping through the empty house and losing them momentarily around a corner, both boys collapsed gasping. “ Dean, we….. we can’t… we can’t keep this up,” huffed Cas, “They’re too big… a-a-nd we can’t run forever.”

Dean took a second between trying to remember how to breathe and wiping blood leaking from his eye to glare menacingly at his friend.

“Damn it Cas what the hell else can we do? I sure as hell ain’t handing you over…. To those mooks. So any other other suggestions are extremely appreciated.”

Blue eyes lit up, and Cas broke into a wide smile, “The old factory! Y’know, the old textile place! We know that area better than anyone, and since the walls are pretty much falling in on them selves, we can sneak through a crack and hide-out until those jackasses leave.”

“Atta boy”, coughed Dean, hauling Cas back to his feet, “I knew you had something rolling around in that head of yours. Textile it is.” 

 

It took them another ten minutes of running and hiding to reach the factory in questions. Annael’s Haven had been closed since the 60s, and it hadn’t been torn down since the land and surrounding area were so poor. All that was left of the once proud factory was a rusting corpse of iron and wood that threatened to topple every time the wind was strong. Perfect for two skinny boys running from goons that probably tripled their weight.

The top floor was the most dangerous since the wood had turned to a mushy sponge-like substance, and the ground was full of holes. The air smelled like wet dirt and rotting rat flesh, but it was the safest place for the pair at the moment. Dean hauled Cas up the stairs by his wrist and carefully chose his footing on the old wood. They came here all the time when they needed to hide, or just get away from the busy city, but that didn’t mean they were invincible against bad construction. 

Meg’s goons had finally caught up and had begun tramping up the stairs. Cas stole a quick worried glance, and urged Dean on. The halls were like a labyrinth and stepping on the wrong spot would cause them to plummet 6 stories straight down, but they needed to hurry and it was a needed risk.

Frantically searching around, Castiel spotted an old closet mostly covered by debris and gestured to it. If their hunters weren’t looking for it specifically, they wouldn’t notice it and would carry on. Dean felt a poke at his back, and turned to see his friend pointing at it, too scared to make any noise for fear they would be heard. Nodding to acknowledge he’d seen it, Dean shoved Cas inside the black space before ducking down himself. They shut their eyes tight and tried not to breathe until they heard the footsteps pass by, a string of curse words, then heavy stomping back down the stairs. 

Dean almost opened his eyes, but something stopped him. He felt something he hadn’t before. Was that a breeze? Sure the building was prone to drafts, but this felt like a full-blown wind, strong enough to whip his hair around his head and push him back a few steps. A sound of chiming bells filled his ears, and a smell of flowers invaded the small space. Trying to open his eyes proved futile since they seemed glued shut from the blood still seeping out from the gash in his brow, so all he could do was grope blindly and whisper for his friend. 

Dean was scared, what the hell was this? Why couldn’t he see? Where was the smell coming from and more importantly, where the hell was Cas? He began to panic and waved his head around, trying to hear if Castiel was anywhere near him but he heard nothing but the ever louder chimes.

After what seemed to be another lifetime being tossed around in the wind like a ragdoll a sharp light stabbed at his eyes and when he could finally pry them open, he was in a different place, quite the opposite too a dirty closet.

No longer a musky, dirt filled room, but rather a seemingly endless meadow with cloudy blue sky above that had simply popped out of Gods knows where. There appeared to be no end, just endless green and blue that melted far off into the distance. Once strong wind was now a gentle breeze, only enough to blow his over-sized jacket around him. Instead of cement floor, there was soft, dewy grass dotted with honey yellow, almost crimson red, cobalt blue, and mint green four-petal flowers. They were perfumed so strongly that the sent practically radiated up from the ground and he didn’t have to bend down to smell them. Each smelled strangely and grew in separate patches, not at all like a flower should. Upon examination while walking around, red smelled like blood, and tinny and irony smell. Blue reminded Dean of whiskey and cigar smoke, which brought back unhappy memories he forced down into his stomach. Green had a meaty smell, like the inside of a low budget butchery. Yellow smelled like wet dirt and damp clothes, which briefly reminded him of his and Castiel’s home. Mixed together they gave the air an unpleasant smell of a landfill.

At the center of the mystery meadow was an over-grown weeping willow that hung limply over a pond. It rustled in the breeze ringing hundreds of tiny, ornate silver bells with jade ringers. Each had a name carved into the silver but some where so faded it was impossible to make out anything. The music they created was an eerie sound, like something they’d ring to say goodbye to a dead man or when sending off sailors and it sent shivers up Deans spine. 

The pool was a turquoise colour that darkened the closer to the center you got. It seemed dead and even though the willows branches brushed it, no ripple disturbed the surface. Nothing was reflected on the surface and it was clear until the center, where it was too dark to see anything at all. The edge was muddy and covered in pond lilies and reeds. Nothing but the wind rattled the reeds, creating an odd cracking sound that was drowned by the chimes.

Dean walked closer to the pond, mouth almost to the ground. “Well Toto,” he said, awe struck by the sight, “Looks like we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

“No Dean, it appears we’re not.”

Dean jumped like a startled cat hearing Cas’ voice beside him. “Dude,” he exclaimed feeling his heart skip several beats, “Where the fuck did you come from?”

Cas scrunched up his face in deep thought, “Um, I just got here I think,” he gestured vaguely over to a patch of flattened green flowers, “I just woke up a few seconds ago. I dunno though,” he admitted rubbing the back of his neck like it was sore, “Feels like I’ve been out for ages. But… where the Hell are we?” 

“Fuck if I know, I just got here a little while ago too. This some kind of drug trip? Did we go crazy like the rest of the city?” wondered Dean. The situation was creeping him out.

Cas merely shrugged and walked over to the pool. He squatted down and poked the water experimentally. “Aww, that’s nasty.” He gagged and showed Dean his finger. An unseen slime had stuck itself onto his pointer and smelt like dead fish mixed with ripe vomit. Wiping it off on his trench coat, he stuck his tongue out in disgust, “Great, now I smell like crap too.”

“Didn’t need the slime to figure that out…”

“Oh shut up.”

The boys grinned at each other, just because they were in some weird ass place didn’t mean they wouldn’t act like the exact same pair of idiots they always did. But something that glinted under the surface caught Deans eye. He turned his head and walked over to Castiel’s side at the lake. A shining object was half buried underneath the muddy lakebed with only a small glinting piece showing. With a bit of hesitation, he rolled up his sleeve and dipped his arm into the lake. It felt like he was rooting around in a puddle of chilled hair gel, definitely not the texture water should be like. Grasping the object, he yanked it out quickly and shook goo off his arm, flinging it everywhere and making Cas groan as a bit landed in his hair. He looked at the mystery object with caution, it reeked like nothing he’d smelled before.

Upon closer inspection, the object was a knife. Small with a wooden handle, it seemed sharp and there wasn’t a single spot of rust on the surface. After wiping off the muck it revealed an inscription under the silver blade. It was in a language Dean couldn’t read. “What the actual Hell…” he wondered, and not for the first time that day. What was a knife doing in the place, whatever the fuck this place was. 

“Dean!”

Hearing his name in cried out snapped Dean back into time and out of some buried instinct he tried to find Cas. His friend was no longer at his side, and Dean cursed himself for not paying attention. Castiel had the habit of wandering off if he wasn’t observed, something that had gotten them into trouble many times. Sticking the knife into his waistband, he ran around to the other side of the pond, he saw a small hand stretching out of a small hole, grasping frantically in the loose dirt, trying to find a steady handhold. Crouching down, Dean saw Cas dangling precariously from a root that jabbed out from the dirt. The hole beneath him was dark and the root was slipping out from its hold in the soil. Castiel’s eyes were panicked as he looked up at Dean, reaching his free hand up to clasp onto his. Dean took his friends hands in a death grip and began pulling him out of the hole. He was almost half way out when Dean felt the earth shift from under him. By the time he realized what was happening, the dirt had given away under his weight and he was tumbling down, down into the dark expanse of the hole with Cas beside him. Pulling him by his hand, Dean pulled his companion close and cradled him to his chest. He didn’t know how long the fall would be, but he’d be damned if he let Castiel go for any length of it.

The funniest things run through a person’s head in the moments before they think they will die. In Dean’s case, it was how much this situation reminded him of a book he used read to his brother when he was sick before the accident. A little girl tumbles into a rabbit hole and on the way sees all kinds of strange things falling beside her, teacups, china cabinets, and books. And when he finally raised his head from Castiel’s shoulder, he saw strange things too, but not quite so innocent. 

The dirt leaked blood and black ooze, and strung from various sharpened instruments were a collection of strange organs that pulsed and rotted in the cold soil. An eerie white light illuminated their fall and the assortment of various disturbing collectables apparently fused onto the walls. What seemed to be a collection of teeth went around in circles around the hole, forming patterns and letters Dean couldn’t read. Eyes poked out from blackened roots, tongues lolled out from cracks and broken paintings that adorned the walls were leaking the same ooze as the walls. Broken glass cups and playing cards were flying past them as they fell, nicking Deans hands and slicing his clothes. 

Castiel looked in awe at the spectacle, somehow more curious than scared. He couldn’t look away from the grotesque display as they fell still hanging on to each other. Wiggling an arm free, he pointed at a patch of ground rising fast beneath them. Fear flooded into Dean, there was no way they’d survive at this rate, they’d be squashed like insects on the tile floor. Wait, tile?

In the few seconds before impact, he observed the red and white diamond patterned floor, and the only thing he could think of was “How the hell did those get all the way down here?” But before he could say anything, the floor rose up to meet him and Castiel hard, and his world went black. 

When he finally woke up Dean was sore in every muscle in his frail body and not a part of him was without a large bruise, although he was grateful for the lack of broken bones sticking out of flesh like he’d been expecting. He wasn’t actually sure how the Hell he was still alive considering it had felt like the boys were falling for ages and the neatly tiled floor obviously hadn’t provided the softest landing. 

After he managed to pull himself of the floor, muscles screaming in protest at even the smallest movements, slowly his brain started to click on and his eyes could observe his surroundings. The room he had fallen into was small and barren of furniture with maroon curtains hanging loosely from high points on the walls. It had an extremely high ceiling with cobwebs drifting from beams that held it up. “How can there even be a roof, I’m probably a hundred miles underground? Cas and I fell right through it…” Wondered Dean, “Wait, Cas!?!”

Fear grabbed at his chest when he realized his friend was no longer tucked away in his arms as he should have been. A quick search of the room proved fruitless as Castiel was nowhere to be seen. Panicking, Dean tore down several of the large cloths in an attempt to recover his lost companion before he came across a small door hidden carefully away behind one. Could Cas have gone through here while Dean was asleep? Why was there a door down here anyway? And why would Cas wonder through without waking him first?

Dean shook his head “Don’t ask stupid questions Dean. Let’s just go with the possibility you’re tweaked off your balls on some drug you got from who-knows-where, and this is just some dumb hallucination.”

Somehow the though of him probably dancing around like an idiot while high on some acid-like substance didn’t make him feel any better. But he decided, to hell with it, and grabbed the door handle. It was a weird coppery metal with worn-out engravings of a globe etched into the surface. With a quick glance skyward and a deep breath, he turned the knob and threw open the door. A wave of sunlight and the over-powering smell of flowery perfume overpowered his senses, forcing him to shield his eyes with his arms. When the bright light subsided, he found himself in a place unlike anything he’d seen before, the kind of thing that belonged in a storybook.

He was standing in the middle of some worn down stone plaza with oddly shaped plants bursting out from cracks in the thick, dark grey rock. Brightly coloured red and pink mushrooms mixed fenced off the sides and released an obnoxious sent of rotting meat that choked out any sent from the bizarre flowers. A few meters away, the plaza broke off into a jagged cliff overlooking a deep valley of mismatched coloured trees and exotic plant life straight out of a Tim Burton movie. Straight ahead he could faintly make out a large castle, jagged and pointed looking, but it was much too far away to make out any real detail. To his left was a gigantic lake that shone a brilliant blue in the quickly dimming sunshine. The sun was falling behind large red mountains to his right, causing shadows the bathe most of the forest and cast eerie shadows on the plaza. Frighteningly large birds soared above the deep greens and blues of the trees below, but none seemed interested in Dean or the plaza he stood on. 

Completely awestruck by the setting around him mouth agape he fell to his knees in wonderment of the sight. A wind had picked up and blew strongly against the boy’s chest, as if warning him to get away from the edge. He couldn’t believe where he was or how the hell he had gotten there when he had fallen so far. “Pretty impressive isn’t it?”

Dean spun around quickly to locate the voice that was unwelcomingly invading his ears, but being greeted by nothing but empty space. “Oh dear me, I seem to have forgotten to allow your weak pretty little eyes to see me. But then again, I’m not sure you should see me. Judging by your appearance I doubt you’d appreciate it enough ”

“What the hell,” Dean cried, “Get out here so I can see you, you son of a bitch! Stop hiding!”

“Ooh, touchy.”

The voice was whispered, or more so hissed directly into his right ear. He spun around was greeted face to face with a giant smiling black and white Somali cat. Yes, the cat was smiling, and it was a fucking creepy looking thing. Teeth protruded from its wide mouth, and the mouth seemed to stretch so far that it pulled the creatures cheeks to the point of tearing. Its pupiless eyes were far to big for its head and bulged out of its head like something from a demented Zalgo cartoon, and were coloured a dark red that shone out from the cats face. Dean pulled back in disgust and rubbed at his ear, as if trying to rub out the sound of the cat’s smooth voice. “See,” the cat pouted, “I told you that you wouldn’t appreciate it. My kind of beauty is something a street rat punk like you could never understand.”

Lazily, the demonic looking cat flew around Dean’s head, as if inspecting the boy for an unknown purpose. Dean however, was to freaked out to move. “Hmmm well, you’re not the worst one I’ve seen and yes that is a compliment. Decent sized, although I’m starting to think you’re a bit slow in the old brain department. Hello,” said the cat, tapping Dean’s head with a paw, “Is the hamster asleep in there or is it outright dead?”

“The-the-the cat fucking talks… why is the fucking cat talking with a Scottish accent? Why’s it talking at all?”

“Ahh, there we go. It does have a voice, rather nice one too. Not quite as talkative as the other one though. Took awhile for him to shut his trap, he was just blabbing on about nonsense.” 

Other one? “Cas!”

The cat purred and nodded his head, waving a paw to the wall of tall mushrooms. Dean sprinted away from the floating feline and crashed through the wall of fungi. It smelt disgusting behind the wall, but knowing his friend was in this stink was enough to spur him forward. The dimming sun mixed with the cover from the foliage made it incredibly hard to move around, but he stomped through half blind until he found was he was searching for. Cas was hanging upside down by his foot and had an extreme look of irritation on his face. He flailed around trying to break free when he saw Dean, eye lighting up with excitement. “Hang on Cas!”

Once he was beside his newly found friend Dean look for a way to sever the rope pinning up Castiel, easier said than done in a forest full of nothing but twigs and flat rocks. A sharp poke in the small of his back reminded him he wasn’t completely unarmed, the knife from the pond was still tucked away in his belt. Drawing it out to cut the rope, he was interrupted by a sing-song voice calling out, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you~” 

The freakish cat had manifested itself onto the branch holding up Castiel. It was slowly scraping at the rope with a sharp, curved claw. “You’ll need that little pig-sticker for later, and you wouldn’t want to dull it just yet.”

With the smile growing slightly larger, the creature sliced through the rope like it was nothing but air and Cas fell with a shriek. Rushing forward, Dean managed to catch him before he crashed into the dirt and most likely would have broken his neck. “Ah,” said the cat, purring with amusement, “Just as over protective as the legend said they’d be.”

“Why the tell did you do that,” yelled Dean, glaring at the grinning feline in the tree while setting Cas down, “You could have hurt him you bastard!”

The cat put on a fake look of hurt and put a fuzzy paw to its chest. “Me? Never, I’m as innocent as a baby dove, and besides, the amount of trouble I would get in for hurting one of you? Geez, you know the sheer amount of red tape it takes to get one, much less two, of your kind here? My pretty little head would be platter before I could even say a word.”

At this point, Dean was confused by the cats miniature rant. Kind? What was he, some rare species? “Um, excuse me.” 

Having gotten back on his own two feet, Castiel raised his hand in order to get a word in between the arguing party. “Dean before you blow a freaking gasket, the cat didn’t put me up there and I’m grateful he got me down,” Cas turned to the now puffed up creature walking on thin air down the tree and asked in a polite tone, “Look, um, whatever your name happens to be, would you mind explaining first where in Gods name we are, and secondly why there was a random snare in the middle of a forest?”

The cat smiled smugly, pleased at knowing it had more intelligence of the areas than the boys. “Ok first, no more The Cat, my names Crowley. Bit more charming than cat no? And it’s not my place to go into the big long-winded intro, that’s the Dreamers job of which I am eternally grateful. And the snare you were all tied up in? That’s one of hers.”

“Her?”

Crowley sighed and put his hands on his face, “Yes, her. Normally us ‘Landers don’t say her name but for your sake, it’s Ruby. Crazy broad, and this is her forest so watch your step. She knows the woods even better than I do, so don’t get brave and go looking for trouble. Bravery leads to death here.” 

Dean was about to ask another question but the cat flew over and stuck a paw on his mouth, “Ah-ah-ah, no more questions buddy boy, not my job. You want those answered, go see the Dreamer. Follow any road, doesn’t matter which, and you’ll find him. Everyone here meets him eventually, so good luck boys. I rather like you two idiots, so don’t do something stupid like dying. Ciao.”

With a wave of his tail the Crowley disappeared, leaving behind a very confused pair of boys. 

 

Attempting to navigate through a seemingly endless and unknown forest that appeared to have popped out of some acid-addicts own head was actually easier than it sounded. There was a strange feeling that seeped out of the woods, an uneasy familiarity about it, like they had either seen it or had heard about it before. It was almost as if a map of the place was planted in their brains, and while the fairy-tale forest was odd, it seemed comfortable and Dean wasn’t as creeped out as he thought he should be. In fact the place was growing on him just after a few hours of walking, and he began to enjoy it. Sure he was terrified, he had no idea where they were and Dean was the kind of person who needed control over situations so he was uneasy to say the least. Every alien bird cry or the snap of a twig made him jump look for the thing that was about to eat him, but he couldn’t let paranoia get the better of him. Despite the kooky scenery it definitely was an interesting place, and it was funny watching Cas whizzing about examining things

Strange birds called out to each other creating an odd melody that was a mix of buzz saws and opera, and malformed insects buzzed about droning on from flower to flower and crawling around in the colorful trees. Cas seemed to be a magnet for the oddly coloured purple and orange bees that lazed in the flowers since they constantly followed the boys and landed on Cas when they tired of flying. He thought the bees were cute and would let them crawl around his fingers before sending the cubby critters on their merry way, but Dean wasn’t so sure. Cas just called him a grouch, but the boy’s eyes twinkled with amusement when he turned to Dean, his hands clasped over his mouth into order to prevent laughter from slipping out. Confused, Dean examined his arms and legs for the strange object that was causing his friend to laugh at him. Eventually he gave up and Cas pointed to a spot on Deans head, where a golden butterfly with six wings instead of two had decided to take up nest. The insect was walking around and had begun making its way onto Dean’s face, taking residence on his nose. Cas was in giggles and Dean swiped the offending bug off his face and blew a raspberry at his so called “friend”. 

Before long the sights were beginning to become overwhelming and the boys began to tire, and it was far too dark to navigate safely. Crowley’s warning of Her was echoing in their heads. Whoever she was, the boys did not want to find out if she was as nasty as the cat said. They had no idea what other beasts lurked in the dark besides the mystery lady, and judging by the peculiar sounds coming from the forest floor neither of them were very keen to find out. So using his roof hopping skills, Cas scurried up a tree and jumped from branch to branch, seeing which where more accessible to his less spry companion. When he had found a suitable roosting spot, he waved Dean up and watched with a smug grin as Dean fell on his butt during several attempts. When the two were finally together Dean pushed his back into the tree and Cas wormed his way through his legs so the younger boy was leaning against Deans chest. A blush was slowly creeping its way up his cheeks, so to avoid embarrassment he quickly stammered out, “Been one hell of a day yeah?”

Cas huffed and cuddled up closer, “I think that’s a bit of an understatement Dean. We still have no idea where we are, and even though this place is sort of amazing… honestly it’s terrifying.”

“Really? The entire walk you didn’t seem scared one bit. Hell, you were smiling like an idiot for the majority of it.”

“Yea I know that, but… I guess now that its dark I’m not sure. Sure it’s a ton of fun getting to see something very few if any humans have probably seen before, there’s just this strange feeling I can’t place. A feeling like, maybe I was supposed to be here, that I was supposed come here. That I should actually be here, like I have a purpose or something. Dean, I haven’t felt like that in a long time, not since I met you at least.”

“When I woke up in the bottom of that hole, something had already dragged me out into the plaza, god only knows what it was. I took a few steps and I’m already hanging there like a trapped rabbit. I didn’t know what was happening, I didn’t know where you were, and kept hearing things. Laughing, a woman’s actually. I thought I was dreaming Dean, but nothing bad happens in dreams.” Cas really sounded scared and he was shivering violently, “but now that it’s dark out it feels different. I haven’t woken up yet, and that worries me. Dean I want to wake up, I want to go back home. I don’t want to feel needed in a place like this, because what does that make me? A freak?”

“Hey hey hey,” cooed Dean as he wrapped Cas up in his arms and buried his face into his shoulder, “It’s gonna be ok, alright? Cas, you aren’t a freak, you’re just Cas. Boring, pain in my ass Castiel who can’t pick-pocket to save his life. Kinda strange sometimes, but that’s not bad thing. Nothing else is going to happen, and if it does, we’ll find a way out. We always have and always will. We’ll probably just wake up tomorrow half way across the city in a tub full of ice with stiches in our sides and a cellphone in our hands.”

“Dean that’s not helping.”

“Point is, this is probably some stupid dream, it’ll all be fine tomorrow. Just got to make it through the night first.”

“Tandem ceteris deis supervivemus,” murmured Cas unhappily as he pushed as far into Dean as he could.”

“Um, excuse you?”

Cas chuckled and turned his head to the now darkened sky full to the brim of stars, they looked the same as the stars they saw back home but much brighter due to the lack of a smog choked sky. 

“It means, “In the end, we will outlive other gods.” It’s the crest from my family back home. My mom used to repeat it to me every night, as a way of reminding me I needed to be strong for the family’s sake.”

“Castiel, she used to say, you have been given the name of a powerful angel, the one who resides over the death of even the highest kings. Let your name be a lesson to you my child, you belong to this family and to God, but you must create something that will be around after the greatest kings have fallen. You must help your elder brother Michael to build an empire that will last forever. It matters not what forces come your way, you are an angel of the lord, my little angel, and a soldier for this family. We will fight for power until our enemies cower at our name, but we have and always will belong to God. Always remember that my son.”

“I always thought it was such a strange thing to tell a kid. “Hey, your own life is meaningless, you belong to someone who doesn’t care for you, and there’s not a damn you can do about it.” Castiel’s eyes glazed over with a familiar sadness as he stared at the ring on his finger, the sadness that Dean had seen many times on clear nights like this, huddled in their lean-to that seemed an eternity away now. It was a sadness he recognized, because it hid in his own eyes whenever he gazed in a mirror.

“I guess that’s why I ran away Dean. I needed my own life, not to be in the clutches of some bastard and serve him blindly. Guess that’s just not my style. But if I knew I was going to end up somewhere as fucked as here… Well I don’t know. And if you’re wondering why I’m deciding to spill this, I’ve seen you staring before, and I know it bugs you and hey, what’s the worst that could come out of it. After all, we might be stuck here forever, just figured you should know.”

“Cas, I-“

“Don’t bother Dean. I don’t need sympathy, especially not yours.”

And with these words, Cas pried of his ring, and flung it into the unknown forest below before leaning back and falling asleep.  
~

When the duo woke up, it was due to the sharp sting of claws in their legs and a very harsh, “Wake up you meat heads!”

Dean jolted upright almost knocking Cas out of the tree and stirring the familiar creature firmly stuck to his shins, it was the damn cat again. “What the he-“

“Save the hysterics princess we’ve got to move. Now. The bitch knows you’re here, and oh boy if she isn’t happy about it.”

Cas’s eyes lit up in fear and he practically threw himself down the tree dragging Dean all the way down, not liking the idea of getting caught by her again. Crowley appeared moments later and pointed to a trail made of cobblestone that had seemingly popped out of nowhere, “Go down there, run and don’t stop. If she finds you, there’s no doubt she’ll skin you faster than a butcher on a bad day. If you see her, do not fight, you won’t make it. The Dreamer will be directly down the trail inside a cave, and she doesn’t dare mess with him. Go. If you live, we’ll see each other again.”

They were not in the mood to argue. Nodding to signal their mutual understanding, they grabbed onto each other’s hands and booked it down the trail. Candy-coloured trees and mushrooms blurred as the pair charged down the path, swiping away and crushing down anything in their way. Not long after they heard footsteps other than their own beating down on the path, and they were moving a lot faster. There was also a scrapping noise that followed, like someone was sharpening a knife against a stone. 

One quick look was all it took, and that was all Dean ever wanted to see of her again. Their pursuer was in their mid twenties, but most her facial features were covered in gore and her hair clung to her face like glue because of the sheer amount of blood dripping off her brown hair. Her black leather jacket and t-shirt were torn and frayed, and in her right arm she held a long broadsword, dyed the exact same shade as the liquid leaking out of her head. Smaller pocket knives and various pointy objects were worn along the edge of her belt, meant for throwing at moving targets.

She let out a manic laugh and poured on even more speed, getting closer and closer to the pair as they fled, but never close enough to strike them down. Every now and then she’d whip a knife just beside their ears or into the dirt at their shoes. She was playing with them, tormenting them and shrieking in delight every time they yelled.

Dean, with what little air was in his lungs, was cursing under his breath, swearing to whatever god he remembered that if he got through this he was going to go up there and kill the man himself for giving him such rotten luck. Ruby’s laughing rang through the trees and sent chills down his spine, like he’d just stepped outside in winter and forgotten a coat. There was something unnatural about her voice, it sounded like it was mixed with several others, all trying to outshout the others.

His lungs burnt and his legs were on fire, unaccustomed to the amount of exercise they’d been getting lately. Blood pumped through his veins so hard they felt like they could explode at any minute from the sheer feeling of dread in his stomach. Unlike the city, there were not convenient shattered windows they could throw back at Ruby to slow her down. They were extremely out of shape and out of their element and fear was starting to make them clumsy as Cas stumbled over his feet while avoiding several of the throwing knives. 

Both boys were heaving by the time the cave was insight, but Ruby was catching up. In between bursts of hysterical laughter, Ruby began to sing in a high-pitched, squeaky voice. “On the farm every Friday, on the farm it’s rabbit pie day.” She held the last word on every verse until she didn’t have enough air to breathe, making the song sound like it was being played on a wheezy broken record player.

Feet pounded on the tile in a meager attempt to stay ahead of the insane woman chasing them, but it was useless as she was in much better shape than the boys and was much faster on top of that. As she began to sing the chorus of the song, at each “Run”, she’d take a giant step closer to the boys, and at each “Bang”, she’d quickly swing her huge sword in attempt to chop them down. 

Dean’s heart was in his mouth and Cas looked like he was about to pass out, either from sheer terror or exhaustion. Either way, if they slowed down they’d be done for, but the large tree roots and fallen branches that carpeted the forest floor were making it hard to keep a steady pace. Ruby wasn’t having this issue, she’d simply slice the fallen debris in half if they got in her way. 

The cave was no more than six meters away when Dean felt a snag on his foot, and he fell hard face first onto the ground, smashing his nose and causing a curtain of red to cover his eyes. Dread seized his heart as he realized what had just happened, and he tried to shake off the pain of his possibly now broken nose. He tried to stand but a sharp stabbing in his ankle kept him grounded and made him groan in pain. The roots had angry red thorns jabbing out of them that were embedded into Dean’s ankle, and if he pulled they’d shred his foot to ribbons and he’d be done for. Ruby was getting closer, smile still plastered onto her face and still singing that awful song. “Dean!”

Cas was screaming and trying to pull his friend up, but the root was firmly twisted around Dean’s ankle and the spikes just dug deeper. “Cas,” cried Dean, pushing his friend away, “Just go! Forget about me, just go damn it!”

“I’m not going anywhere asshole!”

Cas frantically tried yanked the roots off of Dean, but they weren’t going anywhere. They needed to cut them.

Ruby was no less than a meter away when she swung her sword at Cas’s head, eager on finishing them off quickly. Ducking out of the way, Cas leaped to the side and got to his feet. Growling, Ruby shot the most hateful look either boy had ever seen at Cas, but turned to Dean and raised the sword over her head, ready to plunge it into Dean’s chest. “It’s been wwaayy to long since the last Alice, I’d gotten tired of slicing poor little creatures and the fake idiots in the forest. Nothing very interesting, nope not at all. The bitchy witch queen takes all the fun away. Nothing to stab for poor little old me!”

The entire time she was giggling and her eyes were rolling wildly in her skull. His breathing hitched and he braced himself for the pain, but it didn’t come.

“Hey asshat, over here!”

Thunk!

A small stone bounced off the back of Ruby’s head, and she turned around to charge at her assailant. She chased Cas around screaming, nicking his arms and shredding his coat, but never getting close enough to cause major harm. He yelled various abuse and chucked stones in her face whenever he got breathing room, but Ruby just grew angrier and angrier. Cas leaped over roots and swung around trees in an attempt to stay ahead, but he was already worn out and his face was a cherry red.

Taking his very limited free chance, Dean drew the knife from his belt and began hacking the roots binding his feet. They were thick and oozed a sticky green slime when he sliced into them, but the knife was sharp enough it didn’t matter. Once the roots were separated, Dean slowly pulled the long spines from his ankle, biting down on his cheek to keep quiet. Hacking off a piece of his jeans, he tied them around the holes to staunch the bleeding. When he was patched up and had managed to stand, his attention re-focused to Ruby. Somehow, she’d managed to pin Cas against a tree, and was jabbing and slashing in failing attempts to hit her mark. He was dodging wildly, ducking and turning to avoid being shish-kebabed by the sharp sword.

Anger, mixed with an odd protective urge bloomed in Dean’s chest, and with a loud battle cry he charge at Ruby, knife raised to stab her in the back. The blade was small enough that it would easily slip in between her shoulder blades and finish her quickly, but it was useless as she stepped aside and elbowed him in the abdomen. The air was momentarily knocked from Dean, and he gasped like a fish trying to breath and attack her again. He clutched him stomach and tried not to vomit. But Ruby attacking Dean gave Cas the time to slip away and try to grab her hair to pull her away.

She saw him coming, and quickly turned and swatted the boy aside with a sharp backhand. He fell on his behind, but rolled to avoid the sword now being jabbed at his throat. Regaining control of his lungs and jumping to his feet Dean tackled her, knocking the sword from her grasp and sending both to the ground in a desperate struggle. He managed to straddle her and tried to stick the knife into her chest, but she flung him off with a sharp punch to his bruised nose and stood up. She was about to pick up the sword and finish him for good when Cas let out a cry and sent his elbow into her back, causing her to stumble and change her focus on throttling the other child. But before she could close her hands around his skinny neck and choke the life out of him, Dean took the opportunity and charged, burying the knife deep in her ribs.

Ruby let out a howling screech, her eyes rolling up in her head as she tried to tear the knife out of her. A bright red light shot out from her body, and she jerked like they’d just electrocuted her. 

She fell to the ground with a heavy thud, and Dean stumbled over to scoop Cas up in a big bear hug. Nearly sobbing in relief, he swung the younger boy around burying his face into Cas’s neck. Cas hugged back and cried into Dean’s shoulder, his tiny body shaking with exhaustion and adrenaline. “Dean,” he whispered in a broken voice, “did we just… did we just kill somebody?”  
Wiping his eyes, Dean peered down at the cadaver lying a few feet away, “Yeah, Cas. We did. But I don’t think she’s exactly considered human.”

Dean should feel Cas shuttering against him, so he just softly into his ear trying to get him to calm down. Cas was usually pretty stone faced, but it wasn’t like killing a person was something they were exactly used to. Sure they’d seen people die when they fucked with the wrong gang, price of living on the streets and all, but doing it themselves was a whole different feeling. The specks of blood on his hands felt too warm for comfort, and he had a strange feeling that even if he did wipe them off, it would never quite feel as though they were gone.

Dean didn’t want to let go since he was still freaked himself, but eventually Cas needed to breath so he sent him down, still shaking with relief. He withdrew the knife from Ruby’s cooling hide and wiped it off on his pants before handing it back to Dean. “I really don’t know if I’m supposed to congratulate you or anything.”

Not quite knowing how to respond, Dean simply nodded his head and gestured towards the cave, signaling that they should get inside. Cas nodded and started to walk towards the mouth, hands clenched in fists to stop them from shaking.  
~  
The inside of the cave was a stone similar to obsidian as the walls were sharp, smooth, and harder than normal stone but there were various patterns and pictures carved into the walls. A blue light shone out from the tears, and illuminated the rest of the deep cavern. Stalagmites and stalactites burst from the ceiling and floors and glittered in the shining light. A small pool with a stream leading to the back of the cave sat in the center, the same colour as the one they’d seen in the meadow. A man was sitting next to it, writing something down into a gigantic book. From their angle, they couldn’t see much, but Dean stuck out his arm to bar Cas from getting to close. The odd protective urge he’d gotten from Ruby hadn’t worn off yet, and he wanted nothing to do with this man.

“You know, it’s actually kind of rude to hover in doorways like that.”

The pair jumped at the sudden voice that cute through the silence. It was high and held a note of tiredness in it like the person it belonged to hadn’t slept the previous night. The writing man waved them over and tapped the cave floor, “I’d offer you something to drink, but as you can see I kinda live in a cave so there’s a bit of a shortage there.”

He stood up and turned around, smiling at the boys, “But I supposed that isn’t why you came here from your little tree huh?”

“How did you-“

“How did I know that?” interrupted the man, smirk growing on his face, “Oh that’s easy, I know everything about this place, that’s why the cat sent you here. I’m that mystical Dreamer he told you about. I prefer my actual name though, Chuck. Chuck Shurley.”

“Chuck, uh huh ok, well Chuck, since nobody else in this fucking place will, can you tell us where the hell we are?”

Chuck looked puzzled, “Crowley didn’t tell you? Hmm, I need a better guide.”

Spreading his arms wide he said in as big of a voice that he could manage, “Welcome to Wonderland boys! And before you ask any stupid questions, no there is no magical rabbit, no there is no pretty blonde girl, and no it is nothing like the book. That’s the sissy version. Guy who wrote it accidently fell down here and created that happy place as a coping method, we kept the Alice term though.”

Dean let out an unconvincing laugh, “Ok, ok, very funny man. Great joke. Now, where the Hell are we?”

He wasn’t impressed by the fancy carvings or that this was some mystic man. He wanted to get out of this cave since it just felt… wrong. Like he was violating some ultra taboo by just setting foot in here, there was electricity in the air that made him feel unwelcome.

Chuck groaned and rubbed his temples in frustration, “I just told you smart one. God I forgot, you’re the stubborn partner aren’t you? Well maybe your friend believes me, he’s the smart one.”

“Hey!”

“Quiet Dean,” said Cas, placing his hand on Dean’s shoulder to hold him back, “So if we are in this “Wonderland” of yours, some history would be greatly appreciated. Like, how we got here, why we’re here, why that crazy lady was trying to kill us. General things.”

Smiling, Chuck patted Cas on the head, obviously happy to have a willing person, unlike Dean who was skeptical at best of the whole situation. “Well Castiel I can answer all those, but lets take a walk first. My butt is killing me.”

As he walked down a path leading deeper in the cave, he motioned for them to follow. Cas did so with no problem, but Dean was muttering about how creepy this was. The entire walk Chuck never stopped scribbling in his book

“So, this is gonna be the cliff notes version because I’d really hate to bore all of you. This place isn’t very old, couple hundred years at most. It was all created when somebodies tiny little dream said hey, I don’t want to be forgotten in the morning like other dreams, I’m going to say screw off to this world, and make my own.”

While he was talking, Chuck dragged his free fingers along the cracks in the wall, as if he was a blind man reading brail. “So basically what it did is it hopped from brain to brain until it found one strong enough to contain it aka me, a drunken failure of an author. Using my brain for no reason I can understand, it created this place. A nice world of its own, but it was all blank space and white noise. We needed people to create the smaller details, refine it into a world of our own.” 

Resisting the urge to snort in disbelief, Dean shook his head. This is just plain creepy, I just want to go home already, he thought to himself.

Chuck seemed sad at this point, turning his head down and speaking in a quieter tone. “So the dream found a way to bring people here. And the first was a girl named Ruby. She was nice, but oh boy did she have a temper. Real feisty that one. The dream dumped her in here and allowed her to let her mind wander, creating as she went. But the nothingness was too much for her. Drove her completely nuts and she started a rampage in the Wonderland. She had created people and a lot of the creatures she head made to keep her company in the beginning, but she began hunting them and killing them as her mind broke down. We created the forest to trap her and protect the few people she had made.”

“But we soon discovered it takes a special person to shape this place. We brought in any that seemed promising, but it took another 200 years to find the right person.”

“Wait, wait, so what the hell happened to the other people who came here?” asked Cas, fear leaking into his voice.

“They died. Either Ruby killed them, or their minds couldn’t take the pressure of an undeveloped world. Remember that pool the knife was in? Well, that wasn’t water kiddo. It was pure coagulated soul. There’s been so many over the years, the pool in here over flowed, and it broke into that meadow. Which is the gateway, by the way. It’s pretty nasty business. Because this isn’t a completed world so when people die, they just fade away. No heaven, no Hell, just nothingness. The chimes on the giant tree represent a visitor here, once they die the chime starts ringing as a way of keeping track. They used to make such a beautiful song, but now it’s just like a person choking on their own tongue.”

“The Wonderland is actually made of bits of the failed Alice’s. The people in the villages say the rain is their tears, their eyes crystalized and formed stars, their bodies formed the dirt and helped the trees grow, their bones became the stones to build with, the messed up organ tunnel you fell through? All bits of them doing whatever they could to help this place, even if it didn’t have a massive effect like you guys do, or will I guess. I hope.”

Sighing, Chuck continued. “The next was a man in his thirties, named John Winchester.”

“Hold the fucking phone,” interrupted Dean, “John fucking Winchester? I really hope you’re kidding me.”

“Nope, he wasn’t a prize either. He got here and was disgusted by what he saw. He tried to make his mark but it didn’t work much. He gave the Wonderland a sense of uneasiness, but was completely traumatised by the whole event. Ruby taught this place fear, he taught it disgust. We got him out, but I don’t know what happened to him after that. What’s it to you?”

“I’ll fill in the blanks for you then,” growled Dean, “When a man has seen that kind of shit, it’s not hard to assume. So lets assume this, John turned onto a fucking waste. There was nothing decent left in the man, hell I’m not sure you could call what he was a man anyway! And lets assume that when a man loses all sense of what a decent human is like, he drinks, and John was a mean ass drunk. What do mean drunks do? They start throwing punches, at anyone, even their wives.”

Chuck winced, “Oh um… I uh, I’m really sorry?”

“Yeah, well sorry doesn’t cut it dirt bag!”

Seething, Dean practically growled at Chuck, letting years of repressed anger slip through his shields a little bit as a way of telling the man to let the subject drop. Just the mention of John’s name made his stomach twist. 

“Well it’s all I got! I didn’t know how he’d be when he got back, and even if I had I couldn’t keep him here! When your time here ends, it ends. He left and wasn’t willing to come back. And besides, the true “Alices” if you want to call them that have more control here than me Dean, I’m just the guy who writes it all down.”

“Unless they’re mistakes I can’t do anything to them or force them into things. Yeah I have power here, but the only thing I could have done is killed him which really doesn’t agree with me.”

Cas gave Dean’s shoulder a supportive squeeze and looked up at Chuck, “So are we just mistakes for you to dispose of, or one of these “Alices”?” 

Rubbing the back of his head, Chuck began running his fingers down the wall again. “No, not a mistake. A mistake couldn’t have killed Ruby, only an Alice can kill another Alice. You two are special, I can tell. You’re lucky number four!”

“Huh? You said there was only two others before us.”

“Yeah well I was interrupted. There’s one more. Her name’s Lilith. Remember that castle you saw on the plaza? That’s her palace, she’s the queen after all. Lilith has this weird ability to, um, manipulate people here.”

Chuck put the word manipulate in finger quotations.

“She always wanted a throne, so she made one here. The huge castle you saw is full of her weird subjects. I mean, they weren’t weird to begin with, but she has a habit of mutilating people she hates. She scares me.”

“Ok that’s nice to know, but why do we care?” asked Dean in a bored voice.

“Because Mr. Snarkypants, you need to get by her if you want home. In the basement of heart castle there’s a stream that leads out of here, but Lilith is the only person who can get to it. Well, I can, but I’m not allowed to help you anymore. Besides, I wouldn’t know how.”

“I thought you were some sort of God around here? Why the hell can’t you break a few rules and get us home?” demanded Dean.

“I’m not allowed to re-write the history of Wonderland,” he jabbed hid finger towards the wall, “these carvings tell the past and future of this place. The reason I know all this is because the Dream used my hands to carve it, I can only read it.”

“The other three Alice’s futures are laid out, and I knew what would happen, but I don’t know yours. The fourth Alice has no set ending, meaning you two are very important. It’s in flux, the lines either stop or continue with you two. No one knows the story of the 4th. You two were actually prophesied as brother and sister, so fuck knows how it turns out. All I know is each Alice represents a card suite, and that suite has something to do with the effect they’ll have here.”

“Ruby was the king of spades. Spades can be used for violence, but also growth. She planted the first seeds of this place and watered it in blood. We know what fear is because of her. John was the jack of diamonds. All jems are precious until more of them are discovered, and John was just a cheap little topaz in a pile of gold. Lilith is queen of clover. Clovers can be used to symbolize hope, and she made us hope that someone will come and take her down.”

The pair looked at each other uncomfortably and took an uneasy step away from each other. 

Dean rubbed his temples with his hands. Great, just fucking great. Being the cynic he was, he hadn’t been expecting a short answer. “Well that’s nice to know, now how the hell do we get to this castle? I’d like to get out of this LSD inspired Hell and since this weird stream thing is the only way, mind saying how we get there?”

“Exit through the way you came and just pick a direction. All paths lead either to her, or to me, and don’t question it. Logic doesn’t ever apply here. Best of luck. And take this with, you can’t enter the castle without it.” With that, Chuck gave a weak smile and handed them a dirty playing card, the ace of hearts, and gave a wave before walking deep into the cave, nose buried back into his tome once again.

 

As it turned out, Chuck was right with the logic thing. 

The Wonderland had no particular rules it needed to follow. Stuff just seemed to happen out of nowhere for no reason. They’d fall asleep next to a large tree only to find it gone the next day, or have it change color while they weren’t looking. 

Sun would burn as hot as a hundred degrees some days, forcing the boys to discard what little clothes they had, roll up their jeans and walk along a river to keep their feet from burning. It wasn’t uncommon for them to soak each other to the bone while running down the stream, splashing water at the other to cool down. Crowley and begun to follow them around acting as a snarky tourists guide. Whenever he caught them messing around he would roll his eyes only to be doused with water, which would cause him to pout for the rest of the evening and grumble about how rotten the pair of them where. 

Or sometimes in a matter of a few seconds it could drop to below freezing and make them wish for a parka. The same slow lazy river would freeze solid forming a perfect ice rink for them to fly down. Cas helped Dean tie small pointed stones to the bottom of his boots to act as ice blades and helped his friend learn how to balance properly. Cas could zip down like a figure skater and carved figure eights around Dean as he stumbled, cursed, and tripped his way down the river. When they crashed in a tree or under a bush he was forced to sleep on his stomach or else he’d aggravate the many bruises on his butt, which Cas enjoyed poking to get a raise out of him. 

Night could last for only a few seconds or as much as a few full days, in one case it lasted for an entire week (or what felt like a week to them, they weren’t sure how time worked in the Wonderland). Those particular days were some of the best Dean could remember. Every now and again Crowley would pop up and show the boys what they could eat, where Ruby’s old traps were, which plants would apparently eat them if they got to close, little things he’d thought they should know. Crowley usually wanted something in return for his “gracious help and servitude” as he called it, but it was usually nothing but having the boys tell him about their world. Much to Dean’s amusement, the cat knew nothing so Dean would often lie and say cat was the main food they ate. The price for his small doses of humor was usually a glare or a sharp pinch from Cas, but it was worth it to see the know it all cat scared.

Stars and the moon were much more vivid during this period and seeing a falling star happened often, and Castiel loved scaling trees or mushrooms to point out constellations to Dean. Seemingly every single star had some version of a story, a fallen hero, a defeated monster, an honorable creature, and Cas knew them all. He seemed to know every star like he’d seen it personally, telling his stories with big swooping arm motions while speaking in a deep booming voice. They’d sit up their for hours trying to get close to the sky, and when they’d fall asleep in each others arms, their heads would be filled of fantastic dreams of them flying among them, chasing each other across the cosmos. “If I could fly,” said Cas in a dreamy voice one night before falling asleep, “I’d fly up, way into the sky. I’d find each star and count them all, there must be billions up there. My brothers Gabriel and Lucifer taught me them all. We used to have this gigantic telescope they called Dea, but even with it they never seemed this big!”

That night, after Cas was asleep, Dean planted a small kiss on his head for reasons unknown to him.

The moon was almost always full and illuminated the forest with an eerie blue glow, giving everything a dark tinge. Plants lit up like gigantic glow sticks, trees, flowers, and grass alike. A tony stream hidden among the taller grasses glowed a vibrant green which the boys splashed at each other, lighting up their clothes like candles and using it as shiny war paint as they swung the glowing sticks like swords to pass the time. Dean chuckled to himself when he realized Cas looked like a hyper blue firefly. Trees would be swarmed with purple glowworms and butterflies with vivid wings would streak past, leaving trails of their colours in the air. Cas accidently walked into one, which left his face a bright mess. Dean had a talent for catching the small light insects, and together the boys would gently place them into large, clear seedpods from a vine plant and make lanterns. Wonderlands seemingly endless forest was filled with tiny surprises from insects that resembled cats with dragon wings to strange horse-like animals that herded around and offered the boys rides. Their eyes were buggy and slit like a goats, rows of alligator teeth and iron cloved hooves, they were pretty creepy looking despite their kindly demeanor. Everything during the dark hours was friendly and Cas was an expert in horse riding from the jockey lessons he’d been forced though, and Dean got the hang of it quickly and soon enough they were zipping through the trees, racing and prancing their way though the strange land they’d found themselves in. By the time their first riding day was over, Dean’s thighs were burning and he was certain he’d never be able to have children again. Cas just laughed and lunged right in front of him to mock his friends pain. Just seeing the action made Dean cross his legs. 

Cas named his Balthazar after a man he’d heard of in a book, while Dean called his Bobby for lack of a creative name. 

But for every good creature, there seemed to be a terrible one hidden around the next corner. Mixes of feral dogs and reptiles hunted around water holes, carnivorous plants the size of cars snapped at their horse’s ankles and drooled honey coloured sap in their hair. An entire leg of the forest that they had to cross was full of the flesh eating plants. Sarracenia grew as high as trees would, blotting out the newly returned sun. Venus flytraps replaced the grass, waterwheels and bladderworts grew so thickly in the ponds that they matted and covered entire water surfaces. Sundews curled around taller plants and from them wafted out a fruity smell, baiting the innocent creatures into becoming a meal. Eventually, they were forced to leave the horse creatures behind since the paths were too narrow for the animals to traverse and they didn’t want to put them at risk. 

Cas almost got himself stuck in one of the larger Flytraps when it snagged on his trench coat, giving Dean about the worst shock of his life. Once he had sliced the head of the plant in half, he turned the thing into mulch just to make a point. He spit in the goop and wiped the mush off his shoes, all while Cas was staring wide-eyed. They were both eager to leave the boggy area, but because the constant threat of being eaten alive by a giant plant was an experience they decided they could go without, the pair was forced to travel slowly. Since there were practically no trees in the area, sleeping on the ground was the only option available. Both were cranky and always damp, but they pushed themselves on anyway. 

Both Chuck and Crowley were right, ever since coming to this land Dean was even more paranoid that usual about Cas’ safety. If he went anywhere, Dean had to know and if he took to long he’d track him down just in case something bad happened to him. Sure back when they were still street rats he feared for his friend’s safety, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it was here. It confused him greatly, so he just tried to push it down into his gut with everything else and kept one hand on Cas’ small finger, which his friend found amusing.

As they drew closer and closer to the castle, Dean felt something change along the way. It wasn’t clear to him when it had happened, but now whenever he saw Cas, his heart would start tugging at his chest, and he became rather stiff when they’d talk. He’d blush whenever Cas complimented him or even smiled at him. Hell he thought was beginning to act like a schoolgirl with a crush. Although it took time to see it, Cas had started acting the same. Once only friendly touches had started to linger, he’d use any excuse to get closer to Dean, and when talking he’d begun to stammer every now and then. He hated himself for it, but no matter how far he shoved the feelings down, they’d bubble up from his throat and spill everywhere.

Crowley loved teasing Dean about it and he had to use every tiny particle of self-restraint not to sock the cat in its furry jaw. Somehow the devilish feline seemed to know whenever there was a moment between the two and would pop up with a “am I interrupting something gentlemen?”

Slowly, what was happening revealed itself to Dean, but he wasn’t sure if he could accept it yet. Whenever Cas would be sleeping all cuddled next to him Dean would often brush his fingers through the sleeping boys hair, before snapping out of it and jerking his hand away. On the occasion where Cas woke before Dean, it was becoming less rare to find him staring down at his friend, and on one morning Cas had been counting all the freckles across the bridge of Dean’s nose. Claiming it was due to boredom, Dean tried to brush it off but found it nearly impossible. His head was filled with Cas every time he looked away, but no matter how hard he tried something always stopped him from coming clean. A small, yet vivid memory buried in the back of his head of a drunken man screaming at his children. Most of his past memories had the same man swinging his fists in a stupor, but this one never allowed itself to be shoved in a corner. No, it was too striking for that, and it had begun to make Dean miserable.

Nothing was more desirable to him than the thought of the two of them together, and he loved the small kick in his heart whenever Cas would smile at him, but the memory would shred through Dean’s heart so fast and make it sink to his stomach. Even now, miles and miles away and six feet deep, the man was still causing him grief, still his reason some nights it was impossible to sleep without repeating the same chant over again, “He’s dead, he’s gone. He’s dead, he’s gone. He can’t hurt you anymore”, but time and time again it failed it work, turning the vibrant colours of the Wonderland into a bleak gray. The only colours remaining in Dean’s world were the blue in Castiel’s eyes, but over time even they were beginning to fade. The man would take everything away from Dean it seemed, even in some weird country there would be no escape.

Cas was too observant though and within days of the memory resurfacing he had noticed something was wrong. On the evening before their arrival at the castle, Cas finally confronted Dean, having had enough of his moping.

“Dean? I uh, did I do something wrong? It’s just that you’ve been acting very unusual lately, and it’s starting to worry me.”

“Typical Cas,” thought Dean, avoiding Cas’ stare so the guilt in his eyes wouldn’t be so obvious, “Always blame yourself for things that I screw up on.”

“No, it’s not you.”

“Well then what is it?” inquired Cas, cocking his head and squinting at Dean as if he were trying to read his mind.

“It’s none of your damn business Cas.” He was starting to feel irritated at Cas, but for the wrong reasons. Cas was so selfless and always wanted to take on others burdens to make their lives easier, but Dean was never the sharing type and knowing he was hurting his friend’s feelings by shutting it all in just made it worse.

“Yeah well I’m making it my business,” Cas ran ahead and blocked Dean’s path, “You’ve been miserable for the past few days now, and just in case you forgot, I’m right here Dean. We’re in this together and if something’s bugging you I want to know! You’re hardly talking to me, you always have this brooding look on your face, and you refuse to look me in the eye anymore! What the hell Dean?”

“You know what? It’s you. You’re my problem! Cas, you have to understand I need personal space here. And you getting all close and up in my face all the damn time isn’t helping!”

The words came out more harshly than Dean wanted and he instantly regretted saying them when Cas’ face fell into one of immense hurt and quickly molded into a face of stone. “Hey Cas no, I-I didn’t-“

“It’s fine Dean, I understand,” responded Cas in a cold tone, “I’ll stay out of your way if that’s what you want.”

With that he turned around and continued down the path without even a second glance in Dean’s direction. All Dean could to in response was follow behind, and they said nothing for the rest of the day.

It killed Dean to no be able to talk to Cas. Whenever he’d attempt conversation, he’d be rebuffed or just plain ignored. If he’d attempt to touch him in any way, his hand would be brushed away and Cas would immediately move away. Having his closest friend treat him so coldly was starting to hurt, his heart ached for even the smallest glance in his direction, but Cas would give him no relief.

He was a cruel mistress.

Guilt was twisting in Dean’s gut like razor wire and by the day they reached the castle tension had grown so thick a buzz would have been needed to cut through and Dean was wishing he had one about now. The stress of not having someone to talk to for several days was wearing on him and he wanted nothing less than to march into the castle, grab this Lilith bitch by her hair and force her to get them out of here. Maybe once they were finally home the silent treatment would end and they could go back to being the friends they once were and ignore they whole incident. Dean wondered if they could, and if he even really wanted to.

Upon seeing the castle in full view Dean heard the most noise from Cas he’d gotten in what seemed like an eternity, and he made the same gasp of surprise.

Neither boy had seen a real castle but even the grand ones in stolen books couldn’t match up to this one. Dark, clover-green stones rose from the ground in spirals, creating towers so crooked and maimed looking it was a wonder they stood. The main castle body was strangely rounded and coloured the same green as the towers. Odd blue and red streaks cut through the stone, cracking the perfect stones and mixing the colors. Iron spikes donned each rooftop, and a black stone roof swallowed any sunlight cast on it. Windows cast of was seemed to be solid gold glared under the light, and were encrusted with green emeralds. Clovers decorated a shield over top the bronze fence which wrapped the entire length of the massive property. All of the clovers were the usual colour with the exception of one in the bottom right, which was a sunflower yellow that stuck out oddly in the sea of green.

Standing by the gateway was a broad shouldered man dressed in all greens robes and an iron chest plate, and he held a wicked looking barbed spear. Something was off, and Dean saw that the man had his back to them, focusing on the gate rather than possible travelers. Unsure of what to do, Dean looked to Cas for help but received only a shrug in response. 

He wanted to hit that boy.

Taking in a deep breath, Dean puffed up his scrawny chest and tried to seem brave on his way to the guard, with a bitch faced Cas in tow. He withdrew the dirty card and held it towards the guard, “Would you mind letting us through?”

When the guard turned to look down at them, they both had to cover their mouths to stop from screaming. His face was a disturbing mess of a pigs snout and an old mans face, with the sows bits crudely stitched onto his face. His hands were like crab claws since all the fingers were glued together, and his neck sprouted what seemed like duck eyes. It (Dean was unsure whether to call it a he anymore) plucked the card from his hands and examined it. “Once you enter, a pair of servants will guide you to her majesties throne room, do not try go anywhere else or you will be formally detained.” The thing spoke in a high, breathy voice and neither party member was inclined to argue with the disgusting thing.

His stomach churned walking past the deformed guard, but he didn’t want to appear weak at a time like this. They were supposed to be important, and cowering because of some freaky guard wasn’t the best way to make an impression. A small part of him chided himself for being so creeped out. Dean, it seemed to say, you’re in the final stretch here, what in the gods name were you expecting?

Past the gate an uncared for garden grew widely, flowers and weeds had long since passed the flowerbeds and they pushed their way up and through any crack they could find. Sinking, bulbous mushrooms poked out from heaps of what appeared to be various rotting meats and let loose a smell that made both boys gag. Vines draped down the walls and hung like a curtain in front of the massive black wood doors. Jogging through the stinking yard, they threw aside the vines and slowly pulled open the doors, which weighed more than both of them combined.

Once inside, the smell took on an acidic hint and grew worse and Dean choked down rising vomit in his throat. Cas didn’t bother and heaved what little food was in his stomach into a vase in the corner. Wiping his mouth in disgust, Cas said in a croaky voice, “Dear God, what is that smell!”

“I don’t know and I really don’t feel like figuring out what it is. God damn, would it kill them to put an air freshener in here?”

Cas tried to hold back a smile, but failed and blew air out through his nose, “Oh geez, don’t breath through your mouth, aw gross I can taste it. That’s it, I think I’m gonna catch some nasty disease from being in here and die because of some rank castle.”

“Oh don’t be such a drama queen.”

Pulling his t-shirt over his mouth to act like a filter, Dean looked around at his surroundings. The inside was a complete mess like the outside garden. Once white floors had grown a filthy yellow with the caked on layers of grime, and once brightly sewn tapestries were dingy and smelt like mildew. Sun shone through broken and dreary stained-glass windows and fell upon two beings standing in the middle of the room. Rather than pigs, these two were twins and had matching spider bodies, talons rather than nails and fly eyes. Their legs clacked on the floor as they approached with a gloomy, “Welcome to Clover castle. Queen Lilith has been expecting you. Right this way please.”

They moved and spoke in perfect sync, and nudged the boys in the proper directions. Judging by the way their bared their talons whenever they took even the slightest step off the path, they had no choice but to follow the pokes and prods until they got to this Queen Lilith.

No place in to castle so far was any better than the entrance. Carpet was mushy and rotting, pictures of strange people were covered in dust and cobwebs, and the rotting meat smell only grew worse the farther they went. There was no logic to the inside of the place just like the rest of Wonderland, they’d turn right and end up a story higher than they were before. Turn left and end up at the bottom of the castle again. After awhile Dean was beginning to feel dizzy and Cas looked like he was about to hurl again. Just before he hit his tipping point and spewed chunks over the floor, the servants brought them before a large set of black stone doors engraved with detailed pictures of dancing people, each in lady in swirling dresses and each man in expensive suits. All carved into stone with a steady hand, with gemstones placed onto each eye and each clover pin that adorned the dancers. With a bit of struggle, the servants yanked open the doors to the throne room, but the heart of the monster castle was the most disgusting thing either boy had ever seen that made them cling to each other like children.

Grotesque statues as high as the ceiling depicted scenes of brutal murders and were doused in blood. Entrails that dripped random fluids were hung like streamers and the walls seemed to be made of sewn together chunks of tanned, leathery, human skin. The floor was made of tile with shards of bones embedded in to marble. Blood misted through the air so thick even a step into the room coated the boys in a fine spray of gore. Stained glass windows were of screaming faces and demonic creatures dancing on top of them, with the frames being made out of femur bones. Matted, rotten hair was woven to make curtains, with different colours to form the patterns. Around the room where various servants, all more disfigured than the last 

In the very center of the room was a large throne constructed of sculpted cartilage and cured flesh. The seat was a large pelvic bone with a spine and rib cage backing, with two hands cupped to make the headrest. The room looked like a pile of bodies had exploded and decorated the room with their intenstines. This time, both boys did throw up and covered their mouths in disgust, gagging violently at the sight. If they could have seen Hell, Dean thought it looked something like this.

Sitting upon the throne was a gorgeous blonde haired woman in a lavish white dress and crown constructed of jawbones and gnarled fingers. She wore a smug smile on her face, but here was something wrong with her eyes. Every so often, Dean would catch a flash of white streaking across her eyes and she’d twitch when it did.

“Well look what we have here,” Lilith said as she rose from her chair, “So you boys did decide to show up. Took you long enough though.”

She sashayed towards them with her arms crossed, examining both with great interest, and Dean noticed that her feet were bare. “Since it took the both of you so long I’d started wondering if you’d decided to decline my invitation.”

“Yeah well, listen I’m gonna be frank here, we only came because you can get us out of this place. So if you would mind getting your royal butt over to the door and showing us the way out, it’d be much appreciated.” Dean said as he crossed his arms over his chest. Back on the streets people would openly stare all the time, but the way Lilith looked at him was making him feel self-conscious. The constant flicking of her eyes from blue to white was unnerving him and her cocky smirk was making him frustrated. Added to that was the growing desire to leave this hellish room and jump in a river. 

“Dean!” yelled Cas, “You can’t just demand things like that! Look where we are, she’s the queen. I don’t feel like ending up as a window pane, I can go on without that experience.”

“No its rather amusing small child. I’ve never seen one so brave in my little slice of paradise, and considering you’re inhaling about half of my staffs guts right now, it’s amazing you haven’t run outside screaming. Oh, I guess you probably didn’t need to know that.”

Cas immediately clasped his hands to his mouth and tried to breathe as well as he could through his sleeve. Dean stood firm, despite the feeling in his gut to run. The room looked like the entrance to Hell sure, but if he focused on getting Cas out of here he could ignore the place for seconds at a time. 

“We aren’t going anywhere, your majesty. You invited us and we’re staying here until we find out why.”

Lilith snorted, “Oh my, such a polite young man. I invited you here to see if the legends about the 4th are actually true. See I’ve heard sooo much about you, pardon if I’m curious. I mean, the ace of hearts? How interesting. And also because if legends are true, you’re going to become a real pain in my ass soon.”

“Um, what could we do to a queen?” mumbled Cas through his sleeve.

Lilith rolled her eyes and stared right through the boys, “A lot actually, the 4th Alice is probably the most important out of all 5.”

“So we’ve heard.” Mumbled Dean under his breath.

“Quiet Winchester.” Lilith snapped, “It seems what I’ve heard are true about you, just like your father you never know when to shut up.”

“You bitch,” growled Dean through clenched teeth, “Don’t you dare compare me to that… waste of a man. I am nothing like him.”

The queen smiled a triumphant grin, happy to see she’d hit a nerve. “Oh really? If I recall, your father had a habit of pushing people away and brainwashing them, and you’re doing the exact same thing to poor cutie Castiel here are you not? Forcing him to stay on the streets as a poor waste of space and starving him when he could have been eating caviar for dinner every night!”

Dean went pale, “No, no that’s… that’s not-“

“Ah but it is Dean. I can see into the other world, and I’ve been keeping an eye on both of you for a while now. Dean, you’re almost an exact copy of the man. A coward, a run away, too scared to face your problems, and too weak to even protect poor, little, baby Sammy.”

“Shut up, don’t you da-“

“He was so scared you know? The entire time, he tried to hard to fight back, but a runt against that drunken brute of a man, it didn’t matter. Normally a child would scream for his mother, but Sammy was screaming for you Dean, but you didn’t hear him. You were too busy sneaking into bars and playing poker with bikers.”

“I said shut up you bitch!”

Dean charged at Lilith and tackled her to the ground, Cas winced at the sound of skull hitting tile, and tried in vain to pull his friend off the woman. Punch after punch, Dean yelling and Lilith laughing through the blood beginning to pool on her face. Cas hooked his arms under Dean’s shoulders and hauled him to his feet, doing his best to calm him down. Dean kicked and screamed nonsense Cas couldn’t understand, about how it wasn’t his fault and how he should have killed John when he had the chance. 

Three guards came slithering in (their bodies were snake torsos) and shoved the boys to the dirty floor, pinning their arms behind their backs. The third helped pull Lilith up to her feet, where she grinned through broken, bloody teeth. “Take these two to the dungeon, let the doctor have his way with them and go nuts. I’m due for some new ladies in waiting anyway.”

With a wave of her hand, the boys were manhandled away, deep into the underbelly of the castle.

The jail was a dark, damp, stinking mess of grey stone and iron bars. Heavy steel doors were jammed into the walls of rock, decorated with heavy deadbolts and only a small window at the top. There had to be at least 70 rooms in the hall, most were filled with the sounds of weeping people, or lunatics screaming their throats raw. They were dropped unceremoniously into separate ones near the end of the hall by a copper door that shone brightly in the torchlight. The guards quickly locked the doors and slinked away, leaving only a small flame to light the room with an eerie glow. 

Dean kicked at the door, demanding to be let out and denting the metal fixture. “Dean, it’s not use,” moaned Cas, “We aren’t getting out of here any time soon and breaking your foot won’t help us.” 

His voice rose up through a large vent at the bottom of the wall, it was unbarred and big enough for only their hands to fit through. Crouching down, Dean could see Cas sitting by the vent with his back facing the wall. He reached out gingerly and gently touched Cas’ hand, fearing his friend would slap it away. But instead Cas took hold and squeezed the hand tightly, like a dying man to his loved ones. It hurt to hold Cas’ hand so tightly because two of his fingers were swollen and broken from beating Lilith, but the pain was bearable so he bit down his tongue and held on.

“I’m so sorry Cas, if I hadn’t blown up like that, we’d be somewhere else and-“

“Ok, stop right there Dean. I’m not angry at you, I’m just happy I’m not inhaling powdered people any more. She would have thrown us down here for nothing less than safekeeping, so you just sped up the inevitable.”

“If that’s supposed to make me feel better, it’s really not helping Cas.”

“Well pardon me, because of the circumstances my usual sunshiny personality has abandoned me for now, wait Dean why are you laughing?”

Despite being in one of the worst situations of his entire life, Dean had begun to giggle uncontrollably. “You? Mr. Sunshine? Sorry man, that’s just funny. You’re too… brooding and grouchy to ever be called sunshiny.”

“I do not brood Dean! And I am certainly not grouchy!”

“Ah, I’m picturing your usual bitch face right about now. All squinty eyed and puffy chested.”

“I don’t squint.”

“Um, yes you do.”

The boys continued bickering until Cas just gave up and started laughing along with Dean. It must have had something to do with breathing in all kinds of nasty things, Dean thought to himself, and those same mystery chemicals he must have been inhaling were obviously the reason that for the entire night, even after Cas crashed and fell asleep on the floor, Dean never let go of his hand. Yes, must have been something in the air.

A loud crash snapped both boys out of sleep and made them crack their hands against the top of the vent, stirring a gasp of pain from Dean. A lower voice came from Cas’ cell, but it was too quiet for Dean to hear. “Hey! Let me go! Dean!”

Cas’ cry for help was like a shockwave for Dean, and tried to hold on to his friend but multiple hands were pulling Cas away and Dean couldn’t hold on. Cas’ fingernails dug so hard that it tore skin but Dean didn’t want let him go, it was almost as though he couldn’t, but still he wasn’t strong enough. His hand slipped away and Dean raced to the window in the door to catch a glimpse. “Where are you taking him you bastards?! Cas!”

A pair of sickly grey eyes manifested in front of the window making Dean jump back in fear. A thin, nasily voice answered him, “Your friend will be coming with us for a time. Don’t worry, if the operation goes well you’ll see him again, but he may be uh, difficult to recognize.”

A muffled noise came from behind the black eyes, the sound of someone screaming behind a gag. From the tiny slot he could see Cas kicking and head-butting his kidnappers, but they swarmed him and tied his hands and feet together before and real damage could be done.

“DON’T YOU DARE HURT HIM! You bring him back you son of a bitch!”

Slamming his hands into the bars hurt his already damaged hands, but he needed Cas back. From his small peephole, he watched helpless as his friend squirmed in the men’s grasps as they dragged him to the copper door they’d seen earlier. Cas’ eyes were nothing but blue balls of fear as he tried to reach out for Dean, but he could barely do more than wiggle like a caught bug. 

Attacking the door was useless, the steel locks were too strong and his feet too swollen from last nights failed attempts. Since his shoulders were the only parts of him that didn’t ache, Dean figured he’d give it the old collage try and slammed into the door as hard as possible. When his shoulder threatened to pop out of its socket and his arms were bruised, Dean finally gave in and collapsed on the floor of the dirty cell

He put his hands on his face and bit down hard on his lip to keep the tears from falling, but it did him no good. A memory trickled its way into Deans mind, the one of him swearing the silent oath to protect Cas no matter what, but he had broken that oath. Even though he probably was no more than a few meters away, God only knew what would happen behind the closed doors, and the grey eyed mans words rung through his head. Hard to recognize? God, what were they gonna do to him in there! He slammed his head against the wall, frustrated at being stuck here, useless, while his only friend could possibly be going through the worst hours of his life. Unable to think of any other thing, Dean simply curled himself into a ball and cried for his friend.

Being locked in a dark cell with only torchlight for hours on end does strange things to a person, and Dean was no exception for this.

He’d stalk around the room, go back to crying, bang on the door until his knuckles bled, then stalk around some more. He had no idea what to do, when something sparked in his brain. Something completely idiotic that he hadn’t done for years, not since he’d last seen Sammy, which was so much more than a lifetime ago. Cas had told him that his name was that of a powerful angel, so maybe… just maybe, the angel would be more inclined to help someone it had something in common with. 

Dean shook his head, no. No, they couldn’t do anything for him. They hadn’t helped Sammy, so why would they help him now? “Dean, it’s the only thing you can do, they aren’t letting you out any time soon, so what the hell?” he said to himself. 

“Damn it, this is gonna suck.”

Dean stood up and started shuffling awkwardly around the room, unsure of how to start. “So, pardon if this sounds kinda stupid it’s uh, it’s been awhile so bear with me here.”

“My friend Cas, he’s in some trouble. I don’t know what they’re doing in that room, but I know it’s not gonna be pleasant. So, could you please help us out? Get us- him, out of here. There isn’t a single doubt in my mind that they are hurting him, so please make them stop. He’s… he’s all I got left in this world and if something happens to him... Sammy is dead, Mom’s gone, thankfully Dad’s gone, so Cas is the only one I can hang onto.”

“I just, I can’t loose him, he’s the only good thing I have, the best thing I think a guy like me could ever even dream of having. He’s named after an angel and rightfully so because he’s my angel. My mom used to tell me God or whatever gave each kid a guardian angel at birth, and I’ve started thinking well, maybe Cas is mine. So if you won’t do this for me, do it for him, for one of your own kind.”

“And Father or angel or whatever, because I have been told this my whole life, its been pounded in my brain that what I’m about to say is wrong, I’m sorry. I love him, that’s right, I fucking love that boy, and I’m sorry if you see that as a sin but I need him. I need him to tell me every night that my eyes are as beautiful as the sky he loves. I need to keep him close to me whenever I miss my baby brother. I just need him. If this is some sick punishment for my sins, I won’t apologize. Why would I apologize for loving that… stupid, dorky, perfect boy? Hurt me all you want, just get him out of there. Please, I’m a desperate man here. You took my little brother away, you let John beat on him until he stopped fucking breathing, you wouldn’t let me save him. So please, if I can’t save Cas this time either, save him for me. You owe me.”

Dean looked up at the ceiling, tears streaking down his dirty face, and prayed with all his might that his friend would be ok. There was nothing left for him to do.  
Around five or so hours later Dean heard the copper door swing open and heard footsteps approach his cell and the clanking noise of the deadbolt turning. The grey-eyed man stepped in and gestured to the guards. Slithering in they grabbed Dean’s arms and began hauling him towards the door, struggling as Dean dug his heels into the dirt in protest. “Hey! Let go of me, what the hell did you do to Cas you son of a bitch!?”

Grey-eyes smiled and led him into the mystery room, which made Dean’s heart jump and his palms start to sweat. The floor was slanted slightly with tiled floors and a paneled roof, both were covered in dried gore, a sight Dean was slowly becoming used to seeing ever since he came to the Wonderland. Two operating tables were in the center of the room, one with a unmoving body underneath the sheet and the other surrounded by stands with rusted and dull surgical instruments, ranging from lancets to rib separators, none is even slightly decent condition. But his focus was more on the body under the sheet, it wore no clothing based on the outlines and it looked about Cas’ height and body shape, but something was weird. The figures back was arched slightly, like they had shoved a pillow underneath him. 

Every fiber of Dean yelled at him to yank down the sheet and see if his prayers had been ignored, but the hands holding him were too tight. They forced him into the table and flipped him on his back. His hands were bound with leather buckles stretched out at his sides like he was being crucified and his feet tight together. Another was fastened around his hips, chest, and knees, making him almost completely immobile. His shirt was cut away and his jacket discarded, leaving him shivering from the damp air.

“Before you spew out the usual boring questions, I’ll save you the time. Who am I? I am the Queens personal surgeon and the one in charge of her entertainment. Why am I doing this? Our majesty is very fond of little pets like you, and has requested a new pair of… lovebirds. Why me? Because other Alice’s shall not be tolerated, they will cause her majesty grief. ”

Grey eyes slipped on a pair of stained fabric gloves as he spoke, “Now this is going to be considerably longer than your friends treatment, his was a bit more of a test run for you. His turned out beautifully, so I’m ecstatic to see how you turn out. Stay still now little birdie, this is going to pinch a bit.” He spoke like an over doting mother to a child.

He produced a large syringe filled with clear liquid from his pocket, and violently jammed it into Dean’s ribs, making the boy cringe in pain. He could feel the substance moving through his body, freezing wherever it went and making all but his face feel chilled. 

“This is just a simple numbing and binding agent, keeps you from bleeding out and helps with the pain a bit, nasty side effect. My names Alastair by the way, just so you know who you’re cursing in a few minutes here.”

Grinning a toothy grin of yellowed teeth, he casually plucked a pair of pliers off the table and waved them around. “This is also gonna pinch a bit. But we gotta take something out before we can put something in no?”

Once the pliers had secured themselves around Dean’s thumbnail, it became clear what Alastair’s intentions were. John had once slammed his hand in a door as punishment for defending his little brother so hard his nail had caught on a splinter. It had torn halfway off and Dean had never wished to feel that pain again, now the entire thing was going to be torn out and if he had been able to shake, the entire table would be moving.

“No! Come on man, please, please don’t do thi-“

Alastair was in no rush as he slowly tore the nail out of his finger to cut off Dean’s begging, and the sounds of the skin separating from the nail combined with the burning pain made him feel dizzy. Dean was trying to breathe heavily but the straps around his chest prevented his lungs from expanding very far. He felt like he was choking from the pain, but it only grew and Alastair moved to the next one on his index finger. Nail by nail, each was slowly removed until none were left and Dean wanted to cry from the pain shooting up from his hands and into his arms. Blood was dripping down his fingers and splattering on the floor, but his torturer didn’t seem bothered.

From the table he got a pile of black, claw like nails. Each was long and wickedly sharp looking, more like small razors than nails. Almost as if for a demonstration he scraped one claw on the fabric of the operator’s table, and the fabric ripped open like it was nothing but onion paper. With extreme concentration, Alastair placed each on the bloodied holes where his nails used to be and pressed into the tender flesh until the nails were firmly embedded in his skin. Dean’s fingers felt heavier with his new talons, but the pain was too much for him to focus on anything very long much less flex his fingers, so he let his hands go limp and bite down to stop the screams. 

“These little things are vverrryy special,” said Alastair with a wave of his hands, “Once imbedded in your hands, they’ll grow like normal nails. But you can’t cut them, you’ll have to have them filed.”

His focus was shifted from his hands to his mouth when Alastair squeezed his jaw open and tightened the pliers on an eyetooth. Dean tried to scream but the pliers were in his way. He could taste the cold, rusted metal against his tongue and tried to get the object out of his mouth, but it was no use. With a loud wet thunk noise, Alastair twisted the pliers violently. The tooth was ripped from its socket and Dean’s mouth filled with hot blood. Alastair nonchalantly took a small piece of metal from one of the torches that had been baking there for hours and shoved it into Dean’s mouth, searing the wound closed and burning his gums. Tears streaked down his face and he could do nothing but scream from the pain. Frenzied, he did his best to pull himself off the table and strike his captor, but the straps wouldn’t give and he simply cut into himself trying. 

Like the finger nails, this process was repeated on all but the molars. Once Deans teeth were sitting in neat rows on the table, Alistar produced pointed, jagged and curved teeth to stick into the vacant sockets, which he did quickly, piercing the burnt flesh and making Dean howl in pain. Once his new teeth were set, his torturer took a heated knife and stuck it through Dean’s tongue, sawing it in half and shaping it into a point by slicing bits of flesh off until it was the desired shape. The heat cauterized the wound but increased his agony, but now screaming hurt his damaged mouth too much so he just gasped and weakly cursed to the best of his ability.

At his point, Dean had passed out from the pain, his weak body unable to handle anymore of the brutality. “Is this what the sick fuck did to Cas?” he wondered as he drifted off into a red haze of pain.

He was awoken by a sharp, cutting pain in his head. His screams rang out once more as Alastair cut off two large pieces of his scalp and casually threw them on the floor, like an old toy he didn’t want anymore. Through his garbled words and the shouts of his brain, he could hear the knife scratch at his skull. It felt like a fire had been set on his head and someone was poking his brain with a skewer. “My, my Dean, you’re doing very well. For someone as frail as you, I’m surprised you’ve only passed out once. You really aren’t doing as well as your friend though, he managed to stay awake the entire time.”

Through the blood pouring into his eyes Dean saw two large, thick, curled horns come off the table and watched Alastair wave them in the air as he spoke. “I really hope Ibex horns are okay, I figured you wouldn’t be in any shape to complain or protest, so I just went with the local stock.”

“G-g-go f-f-uck yourself,” murmured Dean, barely audible through the blood in his mouth.

“What’s that? I can’t hear you ducky, did I fuck up your tongue? Damn, I never get those bits right, too many pesky nerves and muscles. Ah well, I can make up for it with these.”

With the final words the horns were rammed onto the missing flesh patches, the blood oozing out held them in place like glue. Alastair was whistling while he sewed the horns into Dean’s head, every stich making Dean tense and arch up from the added pain. He might as well have dumped an entire hill of fire ants into his skull and shaken them around. 

Every inch of him burned with unimaginable pain, hot tears were streaming down his face and his throat was raw and scratched from his screams. His head now felt heavy with the added horns and it felt like someone had taken a buzz saw to his fingers and mouth. Alastair merely smiled happily and waved the guards over. Dean was turned over on his stomach and re-strapped in. He couldn’t resist since his body was to busy trying to repair the damage done to it, and he was too focused on not passing out from the pain streaking through his body.

Dean could hardly see anything with his head in a pillow, but he could hear Alastair rustling around with the table. Once he had found what he was looking for, Dean felt a sharp, burning pain in the small of his back. An X was being sliced into him, marking a spot for another thing to be grafted onto his body. “Okay, like the other things, once this little guy is in place, you’re gonna be able to move it around, but no getting smart and hitting me with it because if I break it you’ll never be able to move it again, and cutting it off will cause you to bleed to death. Got it?”

Dean muttered various insults and curses around the pillow, eyes fluttering shut and rolling up in his head. Whatever the stuff that had been injected to him was stopping him from passing out for more than a minute at a time, cutting him off from any small release he might have. Like the horns, something was inserted under the skin flaps and sewed on, it was long and limp and went down to his feet, but he couldn’t tell any other detail. The constant needle digging in and out of his flesh make him feel ill, and when he spewed up any remaining food and bile in his stomach, Alastair just frowned and waved a guard over to mop it up.

Once his newest body part was attached, Alastair grew positively giddy like some demented schoolgirl covered in blood. “Almost done Dean, you’ve done so well! Your friend jerked around as much as he could, I almost messed up several times. But not you! You’re positively submissive! Only two more bits to go birdy, then the real fun begins after your recovery.”

Two identical lines of fire were cut down his back and shoulder blades, and he could feel a skinning knife scraping against the bones, tearing flesh from bone and creating a gap under his skin. He bit on the pillow and let lose mangled scream after mangled scream, trying to block out the disgusting noise. When the blade was retracted Alastair shuffled over to the opposite side of the room to retrieve something covered by a black sheet, grunting from the weight. A light bulb flashed in Deans mind and he clued into what Alastair was trying to turn him into. “A demon… he trying to fucking turn me into a demon! The teeth, the nails, the horns, that must have been a tail so, are those my wings? Did he do this to Cas? Is Cas going to be as ugly as this? No, no, damn it no! This isn’t what I asked for!”

Once one of the items was placed under the cuts, Dean knew it was a wing. It was heavy and strong feeling, like an extra arm was being stuck on instead. He wanted to ask if he’d be able to fly, despite he felt it was a stupid question given the circumstance, but the pain of his skin being lifted up and sewed back down caused him to chomp down on his tongue, new fangs cutting it up something good and spilling blood into his mouth. Gagging on the coppery liquid, he spat it out to the side and braced for the other appendage to be sewed on. 

Dean was gasping like a fish by the time both wings were finally attached, but Alastair had one more thing he was going to do. Grabbing Dean by his hair, he jerked his head up and waved another large syringe in his face. This was filled with a black jelly like goo, and it was millimeters from Dean’s left eye. “Once this has been injected into your tear duct, it will dye your eyes black, and they’ll stay that way forever as whenever you cry, the dye will wash over your eyes. Bye bye candy apple green, hello coal black.”

Two eye clamps were forced under the lids, keeping them held open. Dean was crying and shaking, terrified of the needle and of what he knew it was about to do. Alistar just grinned and slowly stuck it into his tear duct, pressing down on the plunger and clouding Dean’s left eye. The jell burned like lemon juice and salt mixed together, and once it was in both eyes he felt it would be less painful to have just ripped them out all together.

When both his eyes had clouded over, the drug had worn off and the pain flooded in in waves of agony. He just closed his eyes and let his body fall asleep.

When Dean awoke he was not in the cell or the operating room, but in a large sunny courtyard. He was lying on the ground all curled up and his muscles screamed at him whenever he tried to move. His back and mouth ached, fingers were balls of pain and his eyes were slightly cloudy, like he’d been hit upside the head with a bat.

From his stationary place on the ground, Dean took in his surroundings while trying to ignore the fire swelling in his body. It was about the length of a city block, but wide and circular. The top was covered in golden bars with dangling hooks and beams supported by crumbling grey stonewalls, with various planks of wood jutting out at random spots. A stream and pond were tucked into one corner, and a door was set into the walls. The floor was made of cobblestone and dirt, and over-grown grass dotted with the same flowers Dean had seen in the meadow almost a month ago.

“It’s a fucking bird cage. That bitch put me in a bird cage!”

Dean forced himself up and over to the pond, before the joints in his knees gave out and he collapsed. On shaking hands he pulled himself up and took a peek at his reflection, but didn’t recognize the face in front of him. 

His eyes were coal black and reflective, like someone had slipped a pair of blackout lenses over his eyes. His teeth were vicious fangs and his tongue had been elongated and forked like a snakes. The horns atop his head were heavy and curled, sharpened to points like a fighting bull. Talons had replaced his fingernails and they easily gouged out ruts in the stone with minimal effort. He wanted to scream, but his raw throat wouldn’t allow it. He looked hideous and terrifying, like something that would scare children into behaving. Disgusting was the only word in his mind, and it flooded through every pore in his body. Wanting nothing more than to run away and get rid of that horrid face, he tried to stand up and run away but his foot caught on something that caused him to fall flat on his butt. He’d stepped on his own tail.

Curiosity seeped into him and experimentily, he twitched it slowly and within a few seconds he had control of it. It was black with a scythe-like tip, which sliced through the small twigs he’d found on the ground like a hot knife through butter. It could snap like a whip and when it moved it looked like a thin black snake. Looking over his shoulder, he remembered the wings grafted onto his shoulders. They were folded in, but the longest point went down to his knees. Cautiously he spread them out, finding it as easy as moving his own arms. Fully extended they were twice his height, and from each joint in the wings protruded a spiked bone fragment. They were leathery, frayed, and muscly, more like a dragons than a bat or bird. 

“Does this mean I can fly now?”

The dangling hooks and beams were obviously perches, but how to get up there?

A scene from a tv show he’d seen peaking through a store window flashed in his mind, an angel crouching, then pushing up with his wings for lift. That could work, he decided.

Going to the middle of his new cage, Dean squatted down and adjusted his wings. With a deep breath and the urge to shout out, “To infinity and beyond,” he jumped up and pushed his wings hard against the ground, praying he wouldn’t just fall backwards on his ass. For the first time his prayer was answered, and he shot skyward like a rocket. His achy muscles and freshly stitched together flesh screeched in protest, but Dean went on flapping, up and up until he was almost at the lowest hook. Reaching out, he snatched it in his hands and pulled himself up onto the object. Even though he was stuck in a cage with iron bars, and was a disfigured mess, Dean burst out laughing. “I-I did it! I actually flew! Holy crap!”

Grinning like a circus clown, he hopped and glided from hook to hook and from perch to perch, swinging around to work the stiffness out of his body. Normally he’d be a self-loathing ball of self-pity by now, but the feeling of flight was keeping it at bay. He leaped unto the highest perch and hung from it upside down. He swayed lazily while staring at the ground, drinking in the bird’s eye view of the place. Even with the black goo in his eyes, it was still easy enough to see, things were just a bit duller than they should have been. While he was out, Alastair must have done something to his toes too, since they were longer and had the same talons as his fingers. They sunk easily into the soft wood of the perches, and he could scuttle around them like a spider if he gripped hard enough.

While he was clinging to a high beam embedded in the rock face, is eyes focused on a small black bundle sitting on the edge of a perch, protruding arms picking the petals off a blue flower. Cas?

Dean leaped off his resting spot and landed silently, crawling his way around until he could get a look at the bundles face. When he got to the front, he let out a loud whoop, it was his friend and from the distance he didn’t look hurt at all. Without thinking he charged over calling Cas’ name, waving to catch his friends attention. When Cas looked up, he screamed and tried to back up and get away from the beast crashing towards him, but he was already on the edge so his foot hit nothing but air and he started falling towards the ground. 

“Cas! NO!”

From this height Castiel’s skull would be broken, along with every other bone in his fragile body. Dean leaped off the hook he had stopped on and dove straight down, arms outstretched. He scooped Cas up in his arms, holding him like a mother holds a baby. “I got you Cas, just hold on!”

Dean flared his wings out and slowed them down to land safely. He set Cas down and stared in disbelief, happy to see his friend not splattered all over the ground. Cas was wide eyed when he got a good look at Dean, his hands was clasped to his mouth and his face was covered in a look of fear. Tears welled in his eyes’ as he looked Dean over, like he couldn’t believe what had happened.

“Dean? Is that you?” asked Cas tentatively, cupping Deans cheeks with his hands. His body was covered by the odd black cloak save for his arms, which stuck out at the sides. With tears dripping down his face Dean scooped Cas up in a tight hug, the two just stood there for what seemed like forever, hugging each other and reveling in the fact that they were alive and together, despite the obvious changes.

“Yeah Cas, it’s me. God I’m so sorry, I didn’t think that you’d be scared. But I guess I’m pretty nasty looking huh?” said Dean as he put Cas down and spread out his arms and wings. He felt ashamed, like he was something dirty and disgusting. An animal that had escaped from the wild only to end up in some screwed up zoo. 

Cas did his familiar confused squint, “No, not at all. It’s just your eyes… they’re the exact same as before, even under the black. I can still tell it’s you. And the only reason I fell it because I’m not used to things twice my height charging me.”

“Um, Cas, in case you haven’t noticed, my eyes are in no way the same. Green and black are definitely not the same thing.”

Cas rolled his eyes and smiled, “I know my colours Dean, I actually went to school unlike you. The colour doesn’t matter, they’re still beautiful, and they still shine like they used to.”

Before Dean could protest Cas got up on his tip-toes and kissed the spot under Dean’s eye, “And I know they’re still beautiful because I still wanted to do that.”

As his cheeks turned a violent red, Cas giggled and walked around Dean, seemingly completely undisturbed at his friend’s new look. “So he really went to town on you too? As much as I hate the man, he did a good job and oh my god, he gave you a tail?”

Cas gave an experimental tug on Dean’s tail, which sent a small shock up his spine and made his gooseflesh rise. “Quit that!” 

“Oooh, someone’s a little sensitive aren’t they?”

“No! It just, um, it feels weird having someone grope your tail, a tail I didn’t have until a few hours ago I might add.”

Cas cocked his head, “Oh boy, you really were out. Dean, you were sleeping for 4 days. I wanted to wake you up but they were threatening to stop feeding me if I went anywhere near you. I actually didn’t even know it was you, I couldn’t leave the rafters.”

“Wow, nice to know food means more to you than me.”

Cas shrugged.

“So, you’re really not creeped out by all of this?” Dean gestured to his mutilated face and wings.

“Well honestly I’ve seen enough crap in this place that it takes a lot to surprise me, and I’d be a bit of a hypocrite if I said you disgusted me.”

With a deep breath, Cas looked up at Dean and closed his eyes. With shaky hands he undid the cord that bound his cloak, and underneath was a gorgeous set of navy blue angel wings. Small patches of feathers were a silvery grey, and when spread they looked like Alastair had cut out a piece of the night sky and given it to Castiel as a present. They made him look more dignified, like a soldier for the Crown or something of the like. However fluffy was the only word that came to Dean’s mind, and he had to control his hands to stop them from running his finger through them. They were slightly larger than Deans, but his focus was on Cas’ body. 

He was incredibly thin, like he hadn’t had any food for months and his ribs stuck out. Carved on his chest was a strange sigil Dean had never seen before, the wound had scabbed over but it still looked angry and red. From his ankles sprouted two sets of silver tiny wings, and hidden under his hair was a matching set that fluttered on their own. Tiny, blue, glowing lights pulsed and raced under his skin creating spider veins across his face and chest. Dean was in awe of his friend, the wings were like a missing piece of Cas’ body that fit him perfectly, like a puzzle piece he never knew was missing. A pair of demon and Angel lovebirds, two of Alastair’s best creations and Lilith’s new favorites.

Unable to resist the urge any longer, lightly Dean ran his fingers through the delicate feathers on Cas’ wings, and was shocked to hear an almost pornographic noise come out of Cas’ mouth. Blushing furiously, he snapped his wings back and pulled away, “Don’t do that!”

“Who’s hypersensitive now angel?”

Cas glared at him, “Oh come on, now’s not the time for flirting Dean.”

“Oh really? We’re locked in a cage that is obviously some exhibit in a freakshow, I’ve just been made into something that looks like it crawled out of one of Dante’s poems, and you look like you belong in the window of a church. What the hell else can I do?”

The flush was back on Cas’ face, “I don’t belong in a church window!”

“Sure about that angel?”

Unable to do anything else and not wanting to risk an escape yet, the boys spent the rest of the day testing out their new limbs and chasing each other across the sky. 

As it turned out if Cas focused on the little lights, his entire body would glow with blue light and illuminate the room. Dean wanted to call him the human firefly, but he received a swift slap to the head and a threat to be called The Deanmon if he dared. 

Cas was faster and quicker at turns than Dean, but Dean’s wings were stronger and could withstand more pressure than Cas’. Dean recalled how him and Cas used to jump from building to building in their old city, and how it looked like Cas was flying. He smiled, Cas had finally gotten his wings, although nothing was worth going through that pain, even the gift of flight.

But thoughts of pain and agony were replaced with laughs and shrieks as the boys flew around in the hanging rafters, throwing flowers from the ground at each other, and Dean cheered when he got one stuck in the feathers of Castiel’s beautiful wings. If Dean got too close, he’d be nudged away by a head wing or blinded by the lights.   
When the sun began its decent into the sky, they were both panting and absolutely exhausted, so they sat down on one of the largest beams and just watched the sun sink down into the sky. Through hidden cracks in the walls large platters of food had been delivered, but most were fruits Dean turned his nose up at. The sky turned a beautiful mix of purple and yellow, and slowly the moon began to peak out as the duo sat in silence eating. They sat together, Dean’s hand on top on Castiel’s, and didn’t move much.

“Hey Cas?” asked Dean quietly.

“Yeah?”

“There’s something I need to ask you. What Lilith was saying, about me forcing you to stay with me and brainwashing you, all that stuff. Is any of it true?”

Cas rolled his eyes and smiled warmly at Dean. “Of course it isn’t you meathead. If I had wanted to go home, if I had only been going through some I hate mommy and daddy dearest phase, do you really think I would have burnt my wanted posters for fuel with you? Do you honestly think I would put up with freezing and starving just because of some stupid rebellion? Dean, I stayed for you. You were the only friend I’d ever known, why would I leave that behind for something as stupid as money and a family that could give less of a shit about me? I’m not going anywhere because there’s no better place to be then with you.”

Dean’s face turned scarlet, but he returned Cas’ smile and squeezed his hand, careful not to cut his delicate skin. They sat in silence for a while, just enjoying the presence of the other before Dean opened his mouth again.

“How the hell did we end up here?”

Cas’ voice broke the reverie as he smiled at Dean, “How did we go from being useless nobodies on the streets of a dirty, drug infested city, to being the queens personal love birds in this place?”

Dean smiled back and buried his nose in the hollow of Cas’ collarbone, breathing in his sent, “I don’t know Cas. Frankly I don’t want to know. You just don’t ask about some things I guess.”

“I just, I’m still scared in a way. Dean, we can’t go home now. We’d be either laughed at, or studied in some creepy lab. Yeah it was a dump, but it was home.”

Dean wrapped an arm and a wing around Cas in an attempt to comfort him, “Cas, we didn’t have a home. I’ve never had one, least not since my mom left, but living in a cardboard house can’t be what a home is.”

“Well it was the closest thing we ever had,” spit back Cas, “I was happy there, it was just you and me, the rebellious ones. A part of me misses being hunted by Azazel, just how simple everything was. We’ve been here for what, a month? And look what happened.”

“God, when he was putting this stuff in,” Cas gestured to the glowing lights, “It felt like acid mixed with fire was being dumped in my veins, if we stay, are more bad things gonna happen to us? I can’t take something like that again Dean, I’m not that strong.”

“Hey hey, c’mon Cas,” said Dean, pulling his friend closer towards him, “You’re one of the toughest people I know. And it doesn’t matter because Alastair won’t be getting anywhere near you again, I can promise you that.”

“I think I like when you get all tough and protective. Even so,” Cas murmured, resting his head on Deans shoulder, “I’m grateful in a way. If all this fucked up stuff never happened, I probably wouldn’t have fallen in love with you.”

Dean smiled and stared deep into Cas’ eyes, “I’m grateful too I guess. I could have lived without the whole being scared for your life thing though.”

“You were scared for me?” Cas sounded surprised, and more than a little touched.

“Incredibly Cas. I didn’t know what they were going to do, hell, I prayed for the first time in 7 years. I guess they heard me, because I got you back didn’t I?”

With extreme care, Dean tilted Cas’ head back and slowly leaned in for a kiss. He was hesitant at first, scared his teeth would hurt Cas, but Cas didn’t seem to care. He pushed against Dean, breaking down any wall of self-restraint he might have had initially. With their mouths locked together, Dean put his hands on Cas’ bony hips and pulled him closer until Cas was practically on his lap. Still melted into Cas, Dean’s hands wandered back into the navy feathers of his wings. God those things were gorgeous, he wanted to worship every part of them. Alastair had intended for them to feel disgusted by each other, be he had managed to do the exact opposite. Seeing each other like this was almost more natural. Both of them had always felt different, and becoming the freaks they now were almost made them feel normal for the first time in their entire lives.

Cas broke off the kiss and let out a low, whimpering sound. He clung to Dean as fingers invaded the soft down of his wings, each touch sending sparks up his spine, and making his back arch from the new sensation. Dean removed a hand from the main pair and ran his fingers through Cas’ soft head of hair, grabbing it and pushing Cas’ mouth back to his own. With Dean’s hands exploring every inch of him, Cas became a shivering, gasping mess within seconds, while still kissing Dean with fervor. 

When they finally broke off to breath, Dean gave Cas a wolfish grin and said in a low, husky voice, “Well you’re not a very good angel are you?”  
“Aww, aren’t you two just darling? I suppose this means Chuck owes me 3 big ones.”

Dean groaned as the cat’s silky voice invaded its way into his ears, he turned away and covered them. Obviously displeased with being ignored, Crowley dug his claws into Deans and Cas’ legs, making them bolt up and glare at the cat. Its abnormal grin grew even wider as it pranced about in the air above their heads, “Just thought I should pay you boys a visit is all. Haven’t seen you in awhile, and I rather do miss my favorite pair of knuckle-heads. Although it was hard to spot you, you look a lot different after all.”

“What do you want Crowley?” growled a sleepy Cas as he covered his face with his head wings.

“Well don’t make it sound like I’m welcome or anything. I just figured you might be a little interested in getting out of this birdcage and putting a knife in Her Majesty’s back is all. But if you’re not interested…”

“No,” yelled Dean, his attention immediately focused on the cat, ”please, get us out of here!”

“Well alright, just because I’m in a good mood, and you look so pretty when you beg.”

With a wave of one black paw, a key manifested in the air above the cats head. It floated over to Dean’s open hand, but before he grabbed it the plunged straight down into the open air. “Damn it Crowley!” yelled Dean as he made a beeline for the key. 

“Whoops, butterfingers,” said Crowley in an innocent voice.

Once Dean had grabbed the key, he landed and waved the others down. Cas floated down with the cat trailing behind him, muttering fake apologies. “If you haven’t guessed already which judging by our previous encounters you haven’t, key unlocks that door over there,” He pointed to the door set in the wall with his tail, “That leads more or less to the center of the castle, Queeny has her room in the tower at the back.”

Dean was more than happy to except the offer given, but Cas was more hesitant and barred Dean from going anywhere. “Why are you helping us Crowley? Back when we were in the woods you were more than happy to lead us into danger.”

Crowley gave an over-dramatic groan and rolled his eyes, “Yes I did because frankly it was hilarious but I did help you, a lot actually. If not for me Ruby would have chopped you up, if I didn’t show up when you first stumbled in here you’d probably be dead. I also want that whore of a queen dead more than probably anyone else here. She’s the reason I look like shit, I used to be gorgeous, now I look like a demented Furby. I’ve never actually seen one of those, but based on past mistakes comments, I can assume they’re weird.”

“Ah, so we’re all card carrying members of the Lilith Fucked Us Up club?” asked Dean.

“Precisely. Now, still got that little pig sticker of yours?”

“No the guards to-“

“Obviously they did because I have it right here,” another tail flick and the knife appeared, “take very good care of that. That’s the only thing that can kill your kind, do don’t use it on anything else unless you have too. There’s going to be hundreds of bloody guards everywhere, so don’t go making a lot of noise. If you’re spotted, say you’re looking for her chambers, you’re her new pets after all, but just avoid attention. Now shoo, go kill a queen.”

“Oh and Cas,” Crowley called as they turned to walk away, “Might want to cover up those bite marks, they’re more than a little suggestive. Also Dean you kinky little bug.”

With a chuckle, the cat vanished leaving two very red faced boys in its wake.

Once inside the castle it was very clear that it would be more than slightly difficult to get to the queen chambers. They were constantly ducking into doorways and under tables to avoid being seen, but their wings were making that difficult. Since they weren’t very flexible, hiding places were only valid if they were big enough for their wings, and Cas had the nasty habit of knocking things over when he wasn’t paying attention. The ones on his ankles were hard to control, so they’d suddenly spasm and knock over a table if they weren’t careful enough.

Guards were at the ends of every hall and around every corner so it seemed, but they discovered a trick to the castles rooms. All the rooms, unless they were bedrooms, were connected by doorways that were often unlocked and created a maze of pathways through out the castle. Their cage was just above the belly of the castle, so they had to rush in order to get to the top before the guards were more active. Since it was the early, early hours of the morning most of them were drowsy and only paying slight attention, but once they rotated it would be a whole other story. Dean had had the sense to pick up a stray nail file from a dusty bathroom in case they were locked, and Cas kept a watchful eye and deterred any guards that wandered too close. When he lit himself up fully it was almost like a flash bomb, so the guards were dizzy enough to be dealt with and not risk them calling out. They were almost all simpletons, Alastair’s surgeries and Lilith’s beatings had scrambled their brains, so their cries were ignored by the few guards with some sense of intelligence. 

The issue was however, they had no clue how to get to her room. Crowley had told them where it was, but if they tried going that way they’d end up somewhere else completely. Cas pointed out that whenever they wanted to go somewhere else in the Wonderland, they just wandered aimlessly until they got where they needed to be, so why would that change here? He turned out to be right, as they just picked random doors to enter and random hallways to turn down and they began seeing more and more of Lilith’s mutilated guards. 

The closer to her bedchambers they grew, the more brains they had and would investigate the smallest of noises, and the clacking noise Dean’s nails made were hard to mask. 

After a close run in with a bulldog-horsefly mix, they turned down a hall and found what they’d been looking for. Even the door was grandly decorated, clovers were carved into the redwood and the doorframe was solid bronze from the looks of it. Two reptilian like men stood in front, pikes in hand and standing straight as metal rods. “How are we gonna do this Dean?” asked Cas, “We can’t make too much noise or it will wake Lilith up, since I’m assuming she’s still asleep at this hour, but we have to do it quickly.”

Dean chewed on his lip while he thought. They couldn’t pick the lock on a door to maneuver around them since no door would link to the master bedroom. Screwing this up would mean being shoved back into their pen, or probably handed back over to Alastair to have their tongues removed and fed to them. Fucking this up would be the end, so they had to get it right. “Ok, here’s the plan. I want you to walk up, get as close as you can, and go all human firefly on them. While they’re all dazed, stab the closet one too you, and I’ll handle the other one. Sound good?”

Trying to look confident that his half-assed plan would work, he gave Cas’ shoulder a supportive squeeze and gave him the biggest, toothy smile he could. “If we pull this off, all we’ll have to do is run. Hell if we do it quietly, we can just find a window and fly out, sound good?”

Cas looked a bit nervous, but shook his head in a “what the hell” gesture and rounded the corner to the door. One of the guards hissed out a “Halt!”, but the flash came before it could finish. Thanks to the goo covering his eyes, he had a natural set of shades that allowed him too see even with Cas’ brilliant light. Dean dug his nails into the walls and crawled onto the ceiling like a bat. Once he was over top the guard, he dropped down in front of him and growled. He twisted around and sent the sharp end on his tail into the guard’s stomach, tearing through the flesh and opening a large cut and spilling its guts on the floor. Before it could make any other noises, he dug his talons into the guard’s throat, silencing it so it could warn any others.

He looked over at Cas who was withdrawing the knife from the second’s chest as he shook the blood off his hands. “Well that was something I never wanted to do again.” He lamented. 

“Yeah, Ruby was enough,” mumbled Cas as he wiped off the knife, “This is something we’ve been doing to much since we got here.”

Dean grunted in agreement as searched through the guard’s pockets, trying to find a key for Lilith’s room. It was a large brass thing that made a loud ca-chunk noise when the key was turned. Dean stuck his head in very slowly, but the room was too dark to see much. Entering slowly, he waved Cas in as he closed the door behind them. Lilith was sleeping in a giant four-poster bed, snoring softly. “Okay, we’re gonna need to hold her in place,” whispered Dean, “Try to find something like a rope or cord, we’ll need to tie her down so she can’t fight back.”

Nodding silently in agreement Cas walked on silent cat-feet around the room, his eyes like small flashlights. He pointed to the drawstrings on the heavy drapes in the room, they’d make do since there was enough to throw around the bed and pin her torso to it, allowing them to finish her quickly before the guards were alerted. Cutting the cords however would open the drapes and flood the room with light since the sun had risen while they were sneaking around the halls. Taking a deep breath, Dean sliced open the cord and ripped it from the fabric, squinting at the light the flashed into his eyes. Lilith groaned and pulled a pillow over her head, shying away from the light but not quite understanding the danger in the situation.

Dean went around one side and threw to cord to Cas on the other, then Cas passed it back underneath. With a quick prayer for luck, Dean quickly fastened the two ends as tight as he could, but the cord cut into Lilith’s stomach and she jerked awake. “What the? What you two doing here?” her voice rose with panic, “Guards! Guards!”

“They can’t hear you,” sneered Dean, “We took care of them.”

Lilith snarled at the boys, “How the hell did you two brats get out!? And how did you get up here? Guards!”

She screeched and threatened to slice the pair into kibble for her dogs, swearing on her life that they’d never see the light of day again, that she’d bury them alive in a cement coffin and laugh as the light left their eyes.

“Hey Lilith,” hissed Cas, “Shut the hell up.” 

Hand still tight on the blade, he held it out to Dean. Dean enclosed his hand around Cas’, and together they lifted the knife high and brought it down with a sickening whud into Lilith’s chest. She gasped, eyes rolling up and her body shook furiously. She let out one final scream before dissolving into ash right before their eyes, leaving nothing behind of the mad queen.

A smile of relief crossed both their faces, but her screams had not gone unnoticed by the guards. Heavy footsteps thundered up to the door and threw it open. Hundreds of horrified guards gasped and wept when they saw the pile of ash that used to be their beloved queens. Animalistic screams tore through the room as the horde rushed towards the boys, pikes and swords raised high to ride them of their heads. 

With no other escape route in sight, Dean slammed his horns into the glass of the window and shattered it. Hand in hand, they leaped out and spread their wings, dodging the spears being hurled at their backs. A loud sound like a boat horn tore through the air, signaling the archers of the castle to attack. For being half monkey, they had the aim of a sniper and they were hard pressed to miss. By some miracle, the most they suffered from were a few small nicks from the arrowheads grazing their sides. With the winds burning their faces and chilling them to their bones, they pushed down their wings and soared away from the onslaught and the mournful sounds of the boat horn.

Having no idea where else to go, they flew together until they reached the plaza they have first came too. Since they were out of harms way for time being, they slowed down to take in the sight of Wonderland from above. The sun was slowly rising over the mountains, painting the sky a pinky-orange and turning the forest into a glittering maze. Several of the silver trees looked like they had caught fire in the setting sunlight, glaring up from the ground below. A sense of calm washed over the both of them, like a wet sheet had been pulled up off their backs. They chased after birds and flying lizards, dipping and diving while daring each other to get close to the ground. When they finally landed at the plaza together, both of them burst out in giggles caused by left over adrenaline and fear working its way through their systems. Killing Lilith had given them both some weird high, the opposite of when they’d stabbed Ruby. Maybe it was because they had a reason to hate her, but killing her felt good. It was a necessary deed so he reasoned with himself it was because they were right to end her life. Completely untroubled, Cas shook out his wings and mockingly bowed before Dean, “Hail the mighty Queenslayer!”

“Oh god, don’t ever call me that again.”

Cas playfully smacked Dean on the shoulder and hugged him tightly. When they heard a chuckle from behind them and they let go and spun around, Cas raising the knife and Dean baring his teeth and snapping his tail in the air. “At ease boys!”

Chuck stepped out from the shadows, a weary smile on his face. He was still writing in his book without looking down at ut. “Well I must admit I didn’t expect to ever see you two again. I was worried when Alastair got his hands on you, you wouldn’t be able to look in a mirror ever again. But I can tell you’ve adapted well.”

Dean brought Cas close to him and put his arm around his waist, “Nah, I think we’re good. If Alastair wasn’t a psychopathic douchebag I’d almost thank him.”

“Oh please don’t, I’d rather you not encourage him.”

A familiar voice slipped out of the air as Crowley appeared on Chucks shoulder, usual bored look plastered on his face. 

Cas grinned, “Why are the both of you here? Chuck, you said you never left your cave.”

“Well I don’t,” he admitted, “But I thought you I’d come see you two off. You are leaving aren’t you?”

Dean was caught slightly off guard by the question, did he still want to leave? Could he even leave?

“But, what about..” Cas trailed off and gestured to his wings, “They’re a part of us now, if we go home, will they break off?”

“No,” said Crowley in a matter-of-fact voice, “No they won’t. You’re stuck with them unless you want to hack them off and bleed out everywhere. See that’s the catch my fine feathery friend, leave here and be branded as freaks forever, or stay here and leave that old world behind. It’s your choice.”

“I’ll stay,” said Cas abruptly, “I can’t avoid my family forever if I go back home, and I’m sick of being called a freak. At least here, there will be people who Lilith has messed up like us right?”

Chuck nodded, “You guys never found them since you weren’t looking, but there’s entire villages of people she’s fucked with, and even more she hasn’t. You guys could find a place to live here, people in the Wonderland don’t give a crap whether you’re gay or not either. It’s not as hateful of a place as your world. And when the final Alice comes, you guys can help them out, show them around, give them a leg up. You guys need to teach your lessons to everyone like the others did too. The ace of hearts is an interesting card. It’s usually never played in a card game and is rare, but can win or lose the game for the player. That’s probably why you two are so ok with this, aces are unusual so it’s normal the player isn’t very average either. The hearts is an interesting suite too, just because hearts are so symbolic.”

“You guys have the chance to teach this place love if you stay, like the heart suite was destined to do. If you travel around enough, you could raise this place from the hellhole it currently is, if you want. Remember I can’t force anything on you, but I can’t be sure anything good will happen outside here either. You two know how cruel humanity can be better than me.”

Troubled, Dean rubbed his hand against his neck in thought. Wonderland was well, frankly it was disturbing and hadn’t really treated them the best since their arrival. The place had done this to him, made him look horrifying and turned his friend into a beast. Just about to open his mouth and decline, the memory of him and Cas down by the river, painting each other in bright colours flashed its way into his mind. Now that Lilith was gone, maybe they could mess around here a bit more, go adventuring and check out the wonders this place had in store. Here, the memories of Sam and his family weren’t as vivid and Cas’ wouldn’t be able to trouble him again. They could have a life, unlike back home where they’d be judged and called fairies by Meg and Azazel. Cas gave Dean a hopeful stare and squeezed his hand to seal the deal, and he sighed in defeat, “Well I definitely can’t go back looking like this since I’d rather not end up in an exhibit case, and I’ve gotta admit, this place has grown on me. And if Cas stays, I have to stay.”

“Well then it’s settled,” Chuck gave a big sweeping motion with his arms and beamed, “Welcome to your new home boys! There’s tons of villages sprinkled all around that you can live in, we’re happy to have you here!”

Dean and Cas just smiled at each other. Home…

It was a word they’d have to get used to using.

**Author's Note:**

> There's still bits of this I'm unhappy with, but eh, this was the longest thing I've ever written so I'm proud of it regardless. Also sorry about the sudden unexpected mutilation scene.... it was mostly written while hyped up on coffee at 3am (a mistake I regret to this day)
> 
> Thanks for sticking it out to the end guys, I really appreciate it! Also I might do the odd ficlet of them messing around in Wonderland, or maybe what would have happened if they hadn't stayed if you all are interested.


End file.
